Wings of Fairies
by icefire13
Summary: It is again time for the Grand Magic Games. Fairy Tail currently holds the number 1 spot in Fiore but a new guild has risen to the occasion; a guild shrouded in mystery and who seems to have more goals than just winning the GMG... all the favorite characters from FT, Lamia, Pegasus, & Mermaid. T for language and violence/death.
1. Announcements

**yoyo it's jojo!**

**here is my...I think 4th fairy tail story and it's about the 8th GMG. I actually have not finished this arc yet - i'm on chapter 323 so sorry in advance for misinformation or anything like that.**

**I think there's going to be a fair amount of GajeelxLevy in this story, and be warned, I can have quite the mouth at times so...yeah.**

**I actually have not fully planned out the story and I only have a vague outline of what's going to happen so suggestions are welcome from anyone; please r&r!**

**and so here is chapter one:**

Chapter 1

**_Lucy_**

****"Hey, Gajeel, are you going over to watch the Lacrima-vision tonight?" Levy asked hopefully, leaning forwards towards Gajeel.

"'Course." The Dragonslayer replied around his mouthful of iron, "Everyone else is going. Besides, I don't have proper Lacrima reception at my place."

"Why are we watching the Lacrima-vision tonight?" Lucy interjected, "And where is everyone going?"

"Oh, hi Lu-chan." Levy turned to look at her friend, "Everyone's coming over to your place tonight to watch the opening announcements for the eighth Grand Magic Games – it's being broadcasted all over Fiore. I thought you knew."

"_WHAT?!_" Lucy screeched, "When was is decided that everyone's coming to _my_ house? And why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"Shrimp just did." Gajeel pointed out dryly. Lucy silenced him with a glare.

Levy shrugged. "It was Natsu's idea – he's been inviting everyone. But I look forward to see how your novel is coming along, Lu-chan. You promised I could read it, remember?"

"Yeah…" Lucy sighed. "But I thought that they weren't doing the GMG anymore since the princess gained enough magic power for her Eclipse plan last year."

"They decided to continue it just for fun." Levy explained, "Since everyone is so competitive and all."

"I hope I'm not put on the team this year; I really didn't enjoy Flare and Minerva last year." Lucy replied, growing uncomfortable with the memories. Then, "Where's Natsu? He and I need to have a little chat."

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Lucy dropped her purse at the front door and glared out at the sea of people that had invaded her living room. Happy whizzed overhead and Carla tapped her foot impatiently, rising when she spotted Lucy's entrance.

"I have one question." Lucy told the white exceed, "_HOW THE HELL IS NATSU ABLE TO SLEEP THROUGH ALL THIS?!_"

Indeed, the pink-haired teenager was sprawled out across Lucy's bed, his snores reaching her ears above all the clamor. Erza made her way over to Lucy, understanding the frustrated expression on her face.

"Let me handle this." Erza grinned. Lucy had a fair suspicion that she was looking forward to 'handling it.'

"Right, everybody!" Erza clapped her hands to draw attention. "Gray, put some clothes on. Wakaba, kindly do not smoke in the house. Somebody take that bottle away from Cana, and Mira don't give her anything else to drink. Pantherlily, I would appreciate if you would revert to your smaller size for space conservation. Vijeeter, stop dancing on the countertop. Elfman, if you would please separate Gajeel and Laxus before they do any real damage to each other and the house. Bickslow, keep your 'babies' under control. Alzack, Bisca, put those guns away before you blast this place apart. I see you there on the floor, Juvia, even in puddle form. You're ruining Lucy's carpet; please solidify – _no, not_ all over Gray. And Natsu, for the love of god will you _wake up_!"

Within five seconds everyone was quiet and ready to further do Erza's bidding. The Knight mage smiled smugly to herself.

"There. All yours, Lucy."

"Thanks, Erza." Lucy nodded, "It's gonna be a tight squeeze with everyone in here watching the Lacrima-vision so –"

She was interrupted by Freed who had just discovered Azuka crawling into his lap. "Agh! A kid! Get it off me, quick, get it off!"

"Geez. Have a heart, Freed. How do you think Azuka feels?" Wakaba asked, arm twitching as he struggled not to reach for his pack of cigarettes.

"Uncle Freed!" Azuka cheered as she made her way to Freed's shoulders, undeterred by his lack of enthusiasm, "Grandpa Smoke!"

"Although." Wakaba sighed, "I do find it rather hard to accept that she calls me 'Grandpa.' I mean, that's putting me in Master Makarov's age range – you know how she calls him 'Grandpa Moustache', and that old man is nearly twice my age!"

"C'mon, little monkey." Bisca smiled, prying Azuka off of Freed's shoulders.

"Heehee. Mommy!"

"Quick, everybody be quiet." Somebody called out, "Here comes the Lacrima-vision."

The speaker was right. A kind of zapping sound split the air and the screen appeared.

"_Good evening to the kingdom of Fiore!" _the announcer's voice emanated from the Lacrima-vision. "_Tonight we will celebrate the opening of the eighth Grand Magic Games; a contest to see which wizard guild is the strongest in our country. Fairy Tail from Magnolia currently holds the trophy with an astonishing comeback from seven years in the bottom spot last year." _An image of Gajeel, Erza, Laxus, Gray, Juvia, and Natsu played across the screen, along with the Fairy Tail insignia. "_This time around, we have new organizers for the event, which means new surprises around every corner!_

_ "This year, the organizers saw fit to choose only five wizard guilds to participate in the Grand Magic Games. Guilds who have proven themselves worthy of competing for the top spot throughout the year. They are: Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, and a new contestant, Manticore Emerald!"_

"I've never heard of Manticore Emerald before." Lucy frowned, taking a seat between Natsu and Wendy. "And I'm surprised Sabertooth wasn't entered."

"They were." Makarov answered, overhearing her, "But they turned down the offer. Probably too humiliated by last year's defeat and want to wait another year to let it blow over. But I don't know Manticore Emerald either. They must have been a last-minute sub to take Saber's place."

"Aye." Happy agreed from Natsu's head.

"_The rules are as follows: each aforementioned guild will send a preliminary team of five wizards to compete in the tournament. Each guild will also send five reserve members which may only be switched out for preliminary members after the assigned trial in the event of severe injury, unconsciousness, death, or any other reason that the preliminary member is unable to fight. The Grand Magic Games will begin on July first so be sure you're watching! A handbook containing further details will be sent to the masters of each of the chosen guilds and should arrive by June twenty-fifth. And now for a quick recap of last year's Grand Magic Games…"_

{}{}{}**The Next Day**{}{}{}

"Master, have you decided who will be on our team for the GMG this year?" Mirajane asked, pouring Cana another drink.

"I thought about it all last night." Makarov answered, fiddling with his moustache. The guild grew quiet, waiting for the verdict. "I've decided that for our preliminary team we will send Bickslow, Freed, Evergreen, Gildarts, and you, Mirajane."

"WHAT! NOT ME?!" Natsu glared. Makarov took no notice, just continued on.

"And for our reserve members we'll play it safe; Erza, Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, and Gray."

"Hold up just a minute, Gramps." Laxus raised his head, "I was thinking. Last year…kinda made me feel a bit like…I dunno, a toy for the organizers to play with. A pawn in the game, y'know?"

"Eh?" Makarov asked, "Is it because you had to fight Ivan?"

"Him? Nah. That sunnuva–" then Laxus seemed to remember just whose son he was talking about. "It was more because I had to take out Jura." He shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the entire guild. "I didn't wanna fight him…he's a good person. Good guys shouldn't fight each other…"

"You sound like a little girl." Natsu grinned after a moment.

"No…I get what he's saying." Gajeel nodded, "But that ain't gonna stop me from kicking all their asses!"

"If Laxus doesn't want to fight in the GMG, that's fine with me." Makarov looked around, "But who to send instead? Lucy, I know you don't want to do that over again; I don't blame you. Wendy, we need you all in one piece in case we have to heal somebody fast…ah, Levy. You'll do, especially if Freed gets taken out."

"M-me?" Levy asked, "Yeah sure, I'll go. That'll be cool."

"Don't just assume I'm going to get out that quickly!" Freed added his two cents indignantly.

"Nothing personal, Freed. I just have a feeling…" Makarov said quietly, "That we'll have need of our reserves. This year…I think it's going to be a tough one."

**heehee I love freed in his awkwardness XD. couldn't resist sending levy in - more opportunities for GaLe c:**

**yeshies, I shall do my best to make this story a good one.**

**oh yeah and the cover image is just there because I think it looks cool...mira satan soul.**

**anyway, thx for reading.**

**~ice**


	2. The First Trial

**here's chapter 2!**

**it's kind of eh-ish but next chapter will be better and more interesting.**

**plz r&r!**

Chapter 2

**_Mirajane_**

"Welcome, welcome one and all to the Grand Magic Games!"

It was July first. The crowds were cheering as the commentator's voice boomed over the speakers. Mira watched from inside the tunnel that would lead them into the arena.

"As you know, five guilds have been chosen to represent all of Fiore in this year's Grand Magic Games. Give it up for Blue Pegasus!"

"Those bastards." Gildarts grinned good-naturedly as the Trimens, Ichiya, and Jenny stepped out into the open. "They send the same people every year, don't they?"

"Mermaid Heel!"

Bickslow wolf-whistled as Mermaid Heel's five ladies emerged from their tunnel under the stadium. They were all the way on the other side of the arena, but Mira thought she could make out Millianna, Arana, two women she didn't recognize, and of course, Kagura.

"Lamia Scale!"

"Lyon, Jura, Shelly, Sheila, and that man whatsisname…" Freed counted off.

"Van." Mira offered.

"That's right." Freed nodded, "Well, no surprise in that lineup."

"Manticore Emerald!"

"Take careful note of these guys." Gildarts commented, "We don't know any of them or their strength."

"A fat man, a skinny man, a handsome blond man, a little girl, and a weirdo with a bunch of blue stripes on his skin." Evergreen observed out loud. "There's no way to tell what their power is just based on looks."

"And now for the guild at the top of the food chain. The number one wizard guild in Fiore. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Fairy Tail!"

The whoops and hollers from the crowd spurred Mira's confidence as she stepped into the blinding sunlight. She hated to admit it, but being surrounded by everyone waiting to see her magic made her giddy with excitement and nervousness.

"Now, let's get started right away," the commentator cut in, "I'll hand the mike over to this year's head organizer, Mr. Omar Pent."

"Thank you." A different voice boomed out over the stadium. "It's a pleasure to be here, organizing the Grand Magic Games. Diving right into things, the first task we have planned for today will be a test of teamwork." He continued as the floor started to break into runes, to be replaced by a very deep pool of water. Each team was left standing on an island. "There are five rings on the bottom of the pool. Your task is simple – to bring one ring back up to the surface. The tricky part lies in that each team member must touch the ring, and that team members must keep their hands joined the entire time. Only one team member is allowed to use magic. The order in which the teams return will determine handicaps and advantages for a later trial so do your best to be first!"

"And with that opening," the first commentator spoke again, "We wish you all good luck!"

The buzzer sounded and each guild immediately huddled around their island to concoct a plan.

"What should we do?" Mira whispered.

"Already got it." Evergreen grinned. "With my magic, we'll all sink like stones. Once we reach the ring, I'll turn you all back and we'll swim back up to the surface. Everyone can swim, right?"

Everybody nodded but Freed who mumbled, "Barely."

"Let's move." Gildarts whispered urgently, "Blue Pegasus has already got a head start on us."

Several splashes confirmed his remark.

"I'll have to take my glasses off before we join hands." Evergreen closed her eyes and set her glasses down on the island. "Ready? One, two, three, jump!"

"Stay here on the island, Babies!" Bickslow was turned to stone with the familiar display of tongue and Fairy Tail stamp while his 'babies' flew circles in distress as their master forced them to remain on the island.

It was a strange feeling of déjà vu that overtook Mira as she met Evergreen's eyes in midair without the glare of the glasses separating them. It took her back to the Miss Fairy Tail contest over a year – no, eight years – ago. Of course, at that time Evergreen had had no intentions of turning Mirajane and the rest of the ladies back to normal and a pang of caution rung in her chest.

But no, this was not the same situation as last time and Evergreen was a part of the Fairy Tail family, no longer prone to Laxus's every whim.

_I'm putting my trust in you._ Mira mentally told the other woman as her eyes were frozen staring straight ahead. Beside her, Freed's hand hardened to granite. _We all are._

After sinking for few seconds, Mira felt her feet brush the ring. At the same time, she felt her body unstiffening and she was able to move again, hooking her foot under the ring so they could carry it to the surface.

Just as they were ready to start carrying the ring back up, Mira suddenly felt a wave of magical power wash over her and she grew several pounds lighter as they floated to the surface without having to swim up.

_What is going on?!_

Gildarts answered the question without Mira having to ask it as everyone crawled back onto the island, Bickslow's souls welcoming him with obvious relief.

"Null gravity." He explained, looking towards the Manticore Emerald island, "They're risk takers. Interesting."

"What do you mean?" Freed asked, following his gaze.

"Canceling the gravity in that situation could've done a number of things. It could've let the rings float upwards for one. Lucky for them there was probably some kind of spell holding the rings in place till every team member touched them. Then, if a team had already gotten ahold of their ring, like we had, that situation would've worked to that team's advantage, floating us up to the surface. But," Gildarts said, looking around at the splashing members of Lamia and Mermaid whose gravity had been cancelled, "On the whole, it looks like it worked well enough to let them squeeze into third place. I don't know who made first place though; us or Blue Pegasus."

"But how do you know it was Manticore?" Freed frowned.

"That's where the magic power was stemming from." Gildarts replied. Mirajane nodded.

"I felt it too. That Manticore Emerald guild has at least one powerful mage in its ranks. Maybe even S-class."

Another few seconds and the wizards from Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel returned with their rings.

"And so, to finish up our first trial of the eighth Grand Magic Games," The commentator announced, "We have in first place, Fairy Tail. Second place, Manticore Emerald. Third place, Lamia Scale. Fourth place, Mermaid Heel. And after being disqualified from this trial for using multiple team members to cast magic, we have in fifth place, Blue Pegasus!"

The angry growl of "_Ichiya!_" could be heard from the Blue Pegasus island. "We agreed that _Ren_ was going to use magic, remember?"

"Man." Ichiya apologized, "The parfume of the water must have addled my brain. Man."

"As expected, Fairy Tail takes the lead at the very start, but it's still too early to tell what the end result will be. Now here comes the part that everyone's been waiting for; the first battles of this year's Grand Magic Games!"

**the guy from lamia - van - yeah I just made him up cuz yuuka and toby aren't good enough to be in GMG so yeah.**

**~ice**


	3. Reflections

**heheheh - managed to get around the error thing that pops up when you click on the Manage Stories tab so I get to update! yay!**

**this chapter is more interesting than chapter 2 :)**

**and yes, I admit it...Katsuko is loosely patterned after Midnight...I didn't mean to - it just came out like that...**

**anyway, please review!**

Chapter 3

**_Bickslow_**

"The setups for the battles will be decided by drawing straws." The commentator announced for the benefit of contestants and spectators alike. "Whoever draws the short straw on the team will battle. Since there are an uneven amount of teams, one team will draw two short straws. Battle contenders will then draw a number from one through six. Numbers one and six will battle, numbers two and five will battle, and numbers three and four will battle."

"Old fashioned." Evergreen remarked as she chose a straw from the collection that one of the administrators held out to Fairy Tail, "But it works, nevertheless."

Bickslow leaned forward over Mirajane to pick a straw, grinning and sticking out his tongue as he saw it was half as short as the others.

"What happens if you have to battle your own teammate?" Freed frowned. The straw-holding man shrugged.

"Tough luck, I guess."

"I've got the short straw." Bickslow cackled.

"Short straw." His babies echoed, whizzing around his head excitedly.

It was another minute before the bag of numbers came around. Bickslow thrust his hand in the bag and pulled out a number.

"Five."

"Five!" the babies giggled.

"Hey, Ever." Bickslow teased, "You gonna cuddle with Elfman and watch me battle?"

"_NO!_" Evergreen hissed, "And I told you not to call me 'Ever'"

"So." Gildarts spoke up, "Evergreen and Elfman, growing ever closer."

"_NO!_ That's not true!"

He went on as if he hadn't heard her. "And Freed might have a thing for Mira here."

"I do not!" Freed shrieked, jumping away from Mira who just rolled her eyes at Gildarts.

"But Bickslow, who holds that special place in _your_ heart?"

The question caught Bickslow off-guard and his face grew uncharacteristically serious. He thought about saying 'My Babies' or throwing the question back at Gildarts, but eventually he just answered,

"That place…is reserved for someone who is long dead."

"Oh…I'm sorry." Mira said in a small voice after a pause. Bickslow shrugged and looked away.

"'S okay. Let's watch – the first battle's about to start."

"Our first match of this year's Games," The commentator boomed excitedly, "Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale has drawn number one, and Katsuko Oomara from Manticore Emerald has drawn number six."

The man with blue stripes and Lyon faced each other in the center of the stadium. Mira frowned.

"Katsuko…that's a woman's name. I thought that was a man."

"Haha. Awesome!" Bickslow grinned, having recovered from his faltering moment, "A cross-dresser."

"You know, it doesn't really matter." Freed pointed out with obvious indifference.

"The battles will follow the standard battle point system – ten points to the winner, none to the loser, and five points to each in the case of a draw."

The referee blew his whistle. "Begin!"

"Lyon strikes first with Ice Make: Dragon, and that is one fearsome looking creature!"

The Ice Dragon barreled into the spot where Katsuko was with a crash and a dust cloud. When the dust cleared, Katsuko was nowhere to be seen.

"Was he – I mean she – defeated that easily?" Evergreen asked in confusion, pushing up her glasses.

"Naw." Gildarts shook his head. "She'll show up somewhere; you don't get into the Grand Magic Games if you can be defeated by a simple Ice Dragon."

No sooner had he spoken than a female voice sounded from behind Lyon. "Over here."

Lyon whipped around and sent an Ice Tiger towards the place where the voice had been but it shattered on the ground, hitting nothing.

"Ugh." The Ice mage suddenly clutched his stomach as if he had been punched in the gut. Mira narrowed her eyes.

"Concealment Magic. She's using it to become invisible."

From there it was a short battle. Lyon was obviously superior as far as power and stamina were concerned, but Katsuko was more agile and of course, she couldn't be seen.

"Ice Make, Eagle!" Lyon roared, breathing heavily. Halfway towards the spot where Katsuko had last been seen, the eagles disappeared, only to reappear a split-second before every single one crashed into Lyon with the full force of his own power.

"Nope." Bickslow corrected, shading his eyes as he peered out at the now victorious Katsuko, "Reflector Magic. She just reflected the light off herself, making us think she was invisible, then she turned Lyon's own attack on him. Smart lady."

"Hm. Indeed." Freed crossed his arms, "But I don't like her general aura."

"Her _general aura_?" Evergreen laughed incredulously, "Freed, since when are you such a socially-conscious person that you can tell whether or not you like someone's _aura_ from halfway across a stadium?!"

Freed said nothing, only frowned out at the scene in on the battle-court.

"And our first-time contestant, Manticore Emerald, concludes the first battle with a win over Lamia Scale for ten points!"

Lyon groaned and sat up as Shelly and Sheila ran over to him with concern.

"I'm okay." He insisted as the two helped him to his feet. "I'm sorry guys, I should have won."

"You did your best." The wise words of Jura. "And that is all we ask."

Lyon mumbled something that sounded like "Gray would've beaten her." Before the group grew too far away for Bickslow to hear.

"Fiore, are you ready for our second battle?!" the commentator asked. His question was met with a roar of confirmation from the crowd

"Drawing number five, we have a member of one of Fairy Tail's strongest teams, the Raijinshu, Bickslow!"

Bickslow gave his signature tongue-wag as he welcomed the cheers of the crowd, stepping out into the stadium.

"With number two is the female mage considered to be on the same level as the Titania Erza Scarlet, one of the most powerful mages in Fiore, she is Kagura Mikazuchi!"

"Ugh. Bad luck." Evergreen grimaced. Freed nodded.

"Yes," He agreed, "Our only asset may be that Kagura relies heavily on logic for her strategy, and since Bickslow is crazy, he is unpredictable and therefore, illogical."

Bickslow just grinned. That was the way he liked people to think of him – crazy, weird, and unpredictable.

Kagura took her place across from Bickslow, unfazed as always.

"Begin!"

**I had intended to go through Kagura vs Bickslow in this chapter but then I decided to end it right there at "Begin!"**

**luv and pikachus,**

**~ice**

**and I hope the techie guys can get their little lives together and fix the error...soon...**


	4. Love or Hate

**Chapter 4 is here! (it's kind of shortish - 1084 words. sorrynotsorry)**

**this chapter shows Bickslow's sentimental side I think, and I am so proud of his line about love and hate ^w^ or maybe i'm just weird and it's not all that great a line...**

**oh, and just so you know, i'm trying to do every chapter in a different character POV**

**anyway, please review! (3 full chapters and no reviews is a bit discouraging...but whatever -.-)**

Chapter 4

**_Kagura_**

Kagura began by drawing her sword, easily slashing through Bickslow's souls' 'X-formation'.

Bickslow himself was more agile than Kagura had expected, dodging her first and second strikes with apparent ease.

Unfortunately for him, she could tell already that he was nowhere near Erza or Minerva's level.

"Whoa, there. Calm down, Baby." Bickslow remarked, ducking under Kagura's sword that had been aimed at his visor.

"I beg of you," she replied without feeling, "Do not address me in such a vile manor."

"Vile? But I call everybody 'Baby.'"

"Not…me!" Finally, a hit!

A small exclamation of pain escaped Bickslow as he glanced at the red line on his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Babies, offensive formation! It's our turn to attack!"

"Attack! Attack!" the souls repeated with glee.

Kagura cut through all six with ease. Had he really thought those flying barrels would have stopped her?

_No. Simon is worth more than six flying barrels._

Bickslow just grinned as if that was exactly what he'd wanted her to do.

"My babies." He laughed, "Are not confined to that form alone. They can inhabit anything I want them to. While we wait for the matchsticks you've made of their current forms heal…I think that sword of yours will do nicely."

Kagura knew it was useless to fight against Bickslow with something he had control over – they hadn't made him a member of the Raijinshu for nothing. Already, her sword had taken on the telltale greenish glow and had turned on her, nicking her on the wrist as she tried to avoid a stab to her side.

_Well-maneuvered, Bickslow. But I am fond of that sword. I need it back._

"You have six souls in your posession, correct?" she asked.

"Thaaat's right. Six babies!"

"How unfortunate." Kagura allowed herself a small smile of triumph as she pulled a set of six throwing knives from the inside of her jacket, "I have seven weapons."

"Well then," Bickslow smirked as he parried some of the knives she hurled at him and dodged others, "It seems I'll need another soul, eh? I was planning to take my helmet off soon anyway – it's too hot to wear in this weather."

_What does he mean by that? _Kagura frowned. Seeing the look of confusion on her face, Bickslow felt the need to explain.

"Each of the Raijinshu have a special power connected to their eyes. Evergreen can turn people to stone, Freed does that pain-scripture thingy – I forgot what it's called – but my eyes have to power to take souls."

"Ah, but eye magic only works if eye contact is made with the victim." Kagura said, fending off the six knives with her sword, which had fallen back into her possession when Bickslow had taken control of the throwing knives instead. "A problem easily solved."

Kagura closed her eyes.

In truth, she was afraid. She had never tried to fight anyone with her eyes closed before, much less a powerful mage such as Bickslow, and in front of the entire kingdom of Fiore. But she had faith in her skills, and faith in her drive.

Before her Master had taught her magic or weaponry, he'd made her sit for hours on a hollow log in the woods with her eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the forest.

"Magic and Martial Arts are forever intertwined." He had told her, "To master both, you need to be aware of everything around you, from the squeaks of baby mice far underground, to the smell of rain on the wind."

Despite what Erza insisted, Kagura knew it had been Jellal who had killed Simon.

_Jellal. _Jellal_ killed Simon. Can you hear me, Nii-chan? I will avenge your death. I cannot lose this battle. I will win for myself. I will win for my guild. And I will win for my nii-chan._

"Jellal!" Kagura growled. She heard the knives whistle through the air, ducked beneath them, and felt her foot connect with Bickslow's ankles as she swept his feet out from under him with a wide-swinged kick.

Bickslow found himself on his knees with Kagura behind him and her sword held against his neck. Likewise, the six knives were pointed at her own neck, ready to stab her should she harm their Master.

It was a stalemate. A draw.

"You too." She said thoughtfully after a moment, shoving his helmet back onto his face so she could look at him again. It had been the same feeling with Millianna and Erza, and many others besides. Yes, Bickslow was strange, but he was not 'crazy' in the sense of insanity. His carefree attitude, she could tell, was partly genuine and partly due to insecurity. Kagura was the same way, only her outward front was cold indifference.

"Me too what?"

"You…also fight for a loved one you have lost. It's just something I was able to sense coming from you."

"Yes." Bickslow agreed. Then he leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "The difference is, I fight out of love for the one I have lost, and you fight out of hate for the one who killed your brother."

"How do you know about Simon?" Kagura hissed, pressing her blade harder against his neck to show she meant business. The throwing knives shuddered in distress but Bickslow was obviously keeping them from inching closer to her.

"You know," the Fairy Tail mage smirked – it was amazing that he was able to carry such an expression while he was being held on the wrong end of a sword – "That conversation you had when you were battling Erza last year? It was broadcasted over all of Fiore."

_Shit!_

Kagura came very close to losing her composure and flying into a rage then and there, and Bickslow's growing chuckle was not helping the situation in the least.

The throwing knives suddenly clattered to the ground, freed of their possession. Kagura got the message and sighed, taking her sword away from Bickslow's neck and picking up her knives, stuffing them back into her jacket one by one.

"I do not fight out of hate for Jellal." She muttered, though even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. It had been Jellal's face she had pictured when she closed her eyes, not Simon's.

"Don't forget," he replied, "My magic not only allows me to control souls, but also to see the souls of others. I know who you are, even if you don't."

"And souls," Bickslow laughed, "Are fickle things."

**at first, the plan was to have Kagura totally wipe the floor with Bickslow's ass so he'd be out for the long run and I could bring Gajeel in, but because when i'm writing, things never go according to plan, I ended up with the above. and when all is said and done, I think I actually like the way it turned out better...**

**don't worry, Bickslow, I have other plans for you, yes indeed *evil laugh***

**~ice -w-**


	5. 3-Day Trial

**Chapter 5 is up!**

**Fairy-FireDragon23: aww, thank you so much ^w^ I really don't know who bickslow is talking about - that may be a whole other story. eh...I thought about putting bickslow and kagura together but then I was like nah...bickslow must remain loyal to his long-lost love (whoever that may be)**

**this chapter is Gildarts's POV. it has more cuss words than previous chapters b/c I always see gildarts as being a bit more mouthy than some other characters. **

**poor bickslow. I was so sorry for him, writing this chapter T.T**

**plz r&r!**

Chapter 5

**_Gildarts_**

"My goodness." Mira frowned, leaning over the unconscious Bickslow. Gildarts entered the room with the rest of the team where Bickslow was being kept, Wendy using her healing magic on some of the more serious wounds.

"God almighty." Gildarts breathed, "What the hell happened here?"

"Some serious shit happened." Natsu glared. He had on his _don't-fuck-with-me_ face, arms crossed, fingertips slightly burning.

_That's my boy._ Gildarts thought with a small smile. Natsu was normally carefree and laid-back, but you lay a finger on any of his nakama, well, you may as well have dug your own grave.

Freed and Evergreen sat glumly at the head of Bickslow's bed, and several other Fairy Tail members were also present, including Makarov.

"So who found him?" Gildarts asked, risking another glance at the Soul mage. Bickslow looked like he had taken a serious beating. There were marks on his wrists and each of his souls' barrels where magic-restraining bonds had been used to keep him from fighting back, his nose was bloodied, there were several messy cuts on his arms, one of his teeth had been knocked out, a nasty wound sullied his right temple, and bruises covered his entire body.

Everyone present was fuming with silent anger, and rightly so.

"I did." It was Mira who answered the question. "He didn't come out of his room this morning for the longest time so we all assumed he'd just overslept. I went in to wake him up before the Games started for the day and…found him like this."

"But who would so such a thing?" Juvia wondered out loud. "Whoever it is will face the wrath of Juvia."

"Whoever it is is gonna face the wrath of _Fairy Tail_." Gildarts agreed.

"We don't know who did it." Erza spoke up from a corner of the room. "I know Millianna can use binding magic like that but it's a plenty common type of magic – it might be anyone. And I can't imagine she'd do anything like this voluntarily unless Jellal was involved."

"It was those Manticore Emerald guys." Natsu clenched his fists.

"You have no evidence to support that accusation." Makarov reprimanded him.

"Dragon's instincts."

Gajeel nodded. "I agree with Salamander. There's definitely something fishy about that guild – I can sense it. Laxus? Wendy? Whaddya think?"

"Oh…I don't know." Wendy said quietly. Gildarts could tell she'd already used up a lot of her magic energy healing Bickslow's wounds. This fact was not lost on Carla, who addressed the Sky Dragonslayer in her usual stern tone.

"Come now, child, that's enough. He'll be fine now, thanks to you. You just need a good rest – you shouldn't have used up so much magic energy."

"I'm…fine." Wendy insisted with a yawn.

"Manticore is mysterious alright." Laxus agreed, "But I wouldn't be so quick to jump the gun on that one; there are plenty of other possibilities."

"We found his helmet." Happy's voice drifted from the hallway. He, with the help of Pantherlily, was lugging Bickslow's bloodstained helmet into the room. Freed took it and placed it beside Bickslow and his souls before standing up.

"It's almost time for the Games to start and we need to get out there." He said firmly, "Who's going to sub for Bickslow?"

"Me." Natsu snarled.

"Gajeel." Makarov retorted, silencing the Fire Dragonslayer with a look.

"I got your back, Bickslow." Gajeel stopped to look down at the unconscious man on his way out the door with the others.

….

"Contestants, welcome back to our second day of the Grand Magic Games!"

While most of the spectators cheered, Fairy Tail was laden with a stormy silence, still brooding over the morning's 'Bickslow incident'. They were not, to say the least, in the best of moods.

On the other hand, the commentator's voice was bouncing with excitement; obviously, today's activity was going to be an entertaining one. Gildarts was beginning to understand how Laxus felt about being used as a 'pawn in the games.'

"Our next trial will be ongoing over the next three days of the Grand Magic Games, continuing throughout tonight and tomorrow night. Mr. Pent, can you tell us more?"

The sound of the microphone being handed over came through the speakers.

"Yes, the second trial will be quite similar to last year's fifth day, only much longer and more intense. Over the past year, some of our top mages on the crew have been working on a special top-secret project which is now about to be unveiled for the first time to the nation of Fiore."

A murmur started up in the crowd – this sounded interesting.

"These mages have worked together to build an entire town, complete with surrounding forest, which is in a giant ring with a seven-mile radius – that's a fourteen-mile diameter. The teams will be placed into the town at noon – that's in one hour's time. Throughout the next three days, you will work to eliminate as many of the enemy as possible, while trying to keep your own team intact. Simple enough, right? As with last year, for every enemy you eliminate, a point will be added to your team's count. _Unlike _last year, there will be no team leader; every person counts equally. Whoever has the most points in the end wins.

"Now, the rules: there will be no battling after dark. If you happen to be in a battle with someone, and you're interrupted by sundown, tough luck. Reserve members may be switched for preliminary members at any time, but after a team member has been taken out of the ring, he or she will not be allowed back in. You come out, you're out for good. Our Teleportation mages will see to the transportation of members in and out of the circle. The guild masters will decide who to pull out and who to send in. Those are pretty much the only rules. You are welcome to destroy the town and each other as much as you like. There are magical boundaries on the sides of the ring to prevent anyone from exiting unless they are being teleported by our licensed crew of Teleportation mages. Everything a person needs to survive for three days has been provided in the circle, so nothing other than yourself and your magical items are allowed inside. If there is no winner after three days in the ring, another method will be used to decide the winner. Entrance into the ring will be decided based on placement in the first trial. Thus, the Fairy Tail team will enter the ring first, and Blue Pegasus will enter last. You all have one hour – no, forty-five minutes – before entering the ring. Good luck."

The screams of "Cool! Cool cool cool!" could be heard from not far away, and Gildarts spotted that reporter from _Sorcerer's Weekly_ snapping photographs. He glanced towards the Manticore Emerald team. They were going to be the real obstacle in this trial. After their victories in the battles yesterday over Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus – they were the team who had drawn the two short straws – they were leading by a mile with twenty points. Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel were tied at five points, while Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale had zero points each.

"This is gonna be fun." Gajeel grinned, cackling as he looked around at his teammates. Gildarts sighed. They had to win this year; no one in Fairy Tail wanted to go out like Sabertooth had – struck down by the underdog, who in this case happened to be Manticore.

"Yeah." Gildarts agreed, lightening up, "We're gonna kick their asses."

**hope u enojoyed**

**~ice**


	6. Divide and Conquer

**it's chapter 6! and it's also Saturday - my favorite day of the week!**

**here is Evergreen, kicking ass. evergreen pov is so cool to write, especially when she does her Stone Eyes thingy :)**

**anyway, plz read and review!**

Chapter 6

**_Evergreen_**

Evergreen's body itched and tingled all over as she, with the rest of the Fairy Tail team, was transported into the ring.

Each team was being teleported to a different place in the arena. Fairy Tail had been assigned a starting spot just outside the town's library, although they had no idea where they were in relation to the rest of the teams.

"Let's try and meet back here around nightfall." Mira advised, "We can stick together when we sleep – that way we have a fighting chance if we happen to get surrounded."

The group had previously decided that they would split up during the day to target as many enemy mages as possible. Gildarts nodded.

"I agree with Mirajane. This library is a good spot to hideout at night."

"It's decided then." Gajeel remarked, "Sleeping at the library tonight. Jeez, imagine if Shrimp were here. She'd insist on reading every one of these books…"

"Snap out of it, Gajeel. Your girlfriend _isn't _here. And we were sent in first for a reason; let's take advantage of our advantage and wait for the others." Evergreen snapped.

"She's not my girlfriend." Gajeel muttered as everyone headed in a different direction.

"Yet." Evergreen added just loud enough for him to hear. Gajeel just scowled.

It was a nice day, Evergreen noted as she walked through the town, which was dead silent – no one else around. Of course, there was no way of telling if the organizers were controlling the weather, but if they were, Evergreen sent them a mental note of thanks.

_They'll probably have sent in Lamia by now._ She contemplated. _As long as I stay clear of people like Jura and Kagura, I should be okay, but let's go for something small first…Sherry, maybe. We still don't know the full strength of Manticore yet, but that Katsuko looks pretty powerful by the way she took out Lyon just like that. And the fat man who fought Ichiya seemed considerably skilled, despite the fact that it doesn't take much to beat Ichiya if you only use your brains._

By the time an hour had passed, Evergreen was starving, even though she'd eaten before entering the circle. She sincerely hoped that when Mr. Pent had said that everything they needed would be provided, he hadn't meant actually killing animals for food.

Luckily, the first house she wandered into harbored bread in the pantry and some raisins as well as bottled water. It wasn't gourmet, but it was substantial enough to silence Evergreen's stomach for the time being.

It was another half hour before she finally ran into someone.

The Trimens.

"Ah, so it was _you_ that showed up on the map." Hibiki remarked knowledgably.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Evergreen glared, only slightly intimidated. Hibiki couldn't help bragging.

"With my Archive Magic I downloaded a map of this entire town and labeled every team with a colored dot. When we saw on the map that a Fairy Tail mage was getting close we decided to take a chance. Luckily, it's only you. We're Blue Pegasus' best. You won't be too much of a problem. Ren, Eve, I'll leave this one to you." He laughed. Evergreen only smirked.

"You may be the best Blue Pegasus has, but I'm one of the Raijinshu. And you know boys," Evergreen reached up and whisked off her glasses, "There's a reason I wear glasses."

"Damn!" Ren hissed, "I forgot about her eye thi –"

"Well, now." Evergreen smiled, dragging her fingers along the two newly made statues, "From what I recall, you can't do much on your own, can you Hibiki? You need someone else to be your guard against attacks while you provide the information."

"Your magic will wear off once you get out of range." Hibiki retorted. Evergreen had expected him to know that.

"True, but I'm afraid that I am not as weak as I once was. We are in the center of the town, and a seven-mile radius is well within my magic range."

She was bluffing, of course; Evergreen doubted she could hold the Stone Eyes magic within the distance of even one mile. Seven miles was definitely stretching the truth a bit. But Hibiki didn't know that – archives couldn't tell you everything. Especially since Evergreen's information probably hadn't been updated in eight years.

Hibiki hesitated, then bit his tongue and touched two fingers to his head. Evergreen knew exactly what he was up to.

"Don't even think about calling Ichiya or Jenny or you'll see to just what extent my magic can go."

The threat must have been enough because Hibiki scowled and took his fingers away from his head, instead dipping them into his breast pocket and pulling out a pair of glasses.

"I knew these would come in handy one day." He sighed, "Your Stone Eyes don't work on people with glasses."

"Then I'll let Leprechaun have a go at you." Evergreen smirked, calling up her trusty machine-gun.

"Force-Shield." Hibiki managed to deflect most of the compressed-fairy-dust needles with his screens, though a few grazed him and ripped his jacket. Evergreen was slightly impressed, but it was obvious that Hibiki's magic was weak compared to her own.

"Force-Blast." The blast of magic that had knocked Wendy unconscious merely forced Evergreen to take a step back, and she retaliated with a stronger needle attack from Leprechaun, this time succeeding in downing the Blue Pegasus mage.

"Sorry, Hibiki." She remarked, knocking him out with a blow upside the head, "But Fairy Tail's winning this one."

"My, my, well done, Miss Evergreen." A different voice sounded from the shadows.

"Who's there?" she frowned, looking for the source of the sound.

"Evergreen watch out!" Mirajane shrieked and bolted from a side street, stepping in front of Evergreen just in time to take the bolt of black energy that shot from the side of the black building.

Mira collapsed to the ground, a black mark on her chest where the bolt had stricken her.

"Mira? Mira talk to me, are you okay?" Evergreen kneeled in front of her friend, anxiously waiting for a response. The only one came from the voice in the shadows.

"She's not dead," it laughed, "just…out of the loop for a while. Looks like your Master's decided to bring her back. Pity. I was going to have fun with her when she woke up."

Indeed, Mirajne was dissolving as the teleportation mages brought her from the circle back to the infirmary. The Trimens were already gone. Good – that was three points to Fairy Tail.

_I'm dealing with someone who can take out Mirajane with one strike. Is this the same person that did that crap to Bickslow this morning?_

Evergreen clenched her fists. "Come out and fight me like a man." She quoted Elfman.

"Oh, but Ever, dear, we do not follow the brutal methods of men. We are women. Much more elegant and graceful. We use our heads instead of our fists. But…if that's the way you want it…"

Finally, a face to put to the voice. It was the young girl from Manticore Emerald, who couldn't be more than, what, fourteen? _How does a simple teenager like this take out an S-class mage like Mira?_

"Only my nakama," Evergreen growled, "Are allowed to call me 'Ever.' And you are not my nakama."

"Nakama, you say?" a bitter tone had taken on the girl's voice now, and Evergreen could tell she'd hit a nerve, "There is no such thing as a true friend."

"You think that a woman who would sacrifice her well-being to save someone undeserving like me from a scoundrel like you is not a true friend?"

A sense of pity overwhelmed Evergreen then. Pity for someone so young, who could not know the meaning of a true nakama. Of the family-like bonds that made a guild. And she told her so.

"I'm sorry for you. Mira would hope that you find a true friend someday. But I don't think like she does. I'm not as strong as she is, to wish something good upon your existance. I hate you for what you've done to her, even though you didn't mean to."

"My existence?" the girl laughed. "Nothing good can come of my existence. My dear woman, I don't believe you understand the true depth of the nature of my magic…"

**okay the sadistic teenager came off as more...sadistic than I wanted. but I assure you, she is not pure evil; I strive to make all of my characters well-rounded and believable, and every good character has a bit of both black and white in them, it's just a question of whether the black or the white predominates.**

**heehee, I sound so philosophical XD**

**Ren, Eve, taken out so easily. Ilaughatyou haha w**

**anyway, thx for reading. next chapter...gajeel pov maybe. I haven't started writing it yet so we will have to wait and see...**

**~ice**


	7. Hunter and Hunted

**CHAPTER 7 HAS SOME GALE FLUFF! YAAY!**

**i'm proud to have come up with gray's wake-up plan XD I spent a long time thinking of it. **

**plz enjoy!**

Chapter 7

**_Gajeel_**

As the first star winked in the sky, Gajeel slipped through the doors of the town's library, which seemed to have become Fairy Tail's headquarters while in the ring. The familiar smell of books greeted him – familiar because it was how Levy always smelled. He had to admit, it wasn't an entirely unpleasant aroma.

A face peeked down from the balcony, looking to see who had just come in.

"Up here, Rivet-Face." Salamander waved. Gajeel sighed.

_Master, couldn't you wait just a little longer to send Salamander in? We were trying to keep the peace amongst our own guild-mates, you know._

Using the iron studs in his boots to simply walk up the wall instead of using the stairs, Gajeel assessed the situation before him.

Freed and Gildarts appeared to be intact, though the former looked a little worse for the wear. There was no Mirajane and no Evergreen. Instead, Gray and Natsu seemed to have been added.

"I understand if Evergreen got out on the first day." The Iron Dragonslayer said aloud, "But Mira musta run into Jura or somebody. He's the only one I can think of that could take her out. I even think she could beat Mikazuchi if she tried."

"Wasn't Jura." Gildarts grinned, crossing his arms under his tattered cloak. "Him and me ran into each other almost immediately and were going at it for a long time. There's no way he would have had time to meet and conquer Mirajane before I got to him."

"You won?"

"Well I'm here, aren't I?"

"Gajeel," Freed spoke up, "We're trying to keep count of how many points we have, since we have no access to the outside. Did you manage to beat anyone today?"

"Listen to you – _did I manage to beat anyone today? _Yeah I got one of the ladies from Mermaid and Van from Lamia." He answered.

"I totally whupped the fat gravity guy's ass!" Natsu punched the air with enthusiasm.

"The one from Manticore that beat Ichiya?" Gajeel asked.

"Uh-huh. He didn't stand a chance."

"From what I hear it was quite an intense battle." Freed muttered under his breath. "But I got a Blue Pegasus reserve without too much trouble."

Gray nodded, "And I managed that Web lady from Mermaid. I also met Lyon but night fell before we started battling. I knew from what Master told us that this library is our hideout so I took off. He wasn't too happy about that – he wanted to stick it out till morning and battle as soon as the sun came up."

Gildarts chuckled. "It's a good thing you left. I can't say for sure who'd win that one; you two seem pretty evenly matched."

"Hmmm." Gray replied. His eyes were far away, remembering something.

"Well," Gajeel grunted, "I dunno about you guys but I'm tired – I'm goin' to sleep"

"Yeah." Gildarts nodded, "The only good that can come of not having Mira and Ever around is that they can't nag at us for being nasty men."

"Please, no-one try to snore too loudly; I'm a light sleeper and one must have his beauty rest." Freed remarked from his corner.

"Except Freed." Gildarts added in a whisper.

"How're we gonna know when to wake up?" Gajeel asked.

"Leave that to me." Gray chuckled. "Natsu, you sleep there." He pointed to a spot in the middle of the floor.

"Why me?! And why there?!"

"Just do it." Gray answered with a sigh, creating a small pyramid of ice in the palm of his hand and placing it on the windowsill.

"What's that?" Natsu asked suspiciously, pointing to the pyramid.

"Just go to sleep already! You'll understand later."

Gajeel stretched out beside a bookcase, arms behind his head. He mentally pictured Levy's face on the broad white canvas that was the ceiling, thinking about her for a few minutes before he finally fell asleep.

{}{}{}{}{}{}

"AAARGH GODDAMMIT AGH-FUCK ASDFGHJKL! GRAY YOU MOTHERFUCKING FAGGOT!"

Gajeel blinked his eyes open. "Wassamatter Salamander?"

Natsu stomped around the library, ensuring that everyone was awake while snarling several more choice words and setting a few books on fire.

Gray smirked, sitting up in his boxers. "It worked just like I wanted it to."

"What did you do?" Freed mumbled, still bleary-eyed.

"When the sun came up, that ice pyramid in the windowsill worked like a prism, catching and concentrating a beam of sunlight right into Natsu's face. As you can see, he served as a replacement alarm clock to wake the rest of us up." Gray explained, "I put the no-melt spell on the ice so it would stay solid all night. Worked like a charm, didn't it?"

"Uh-huh. Nice thinking." Gajeel nodded, chuckling as Natsu stomped out the fires that he'd created.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT ONE, ICE PRINCESS!"

"No doubt." Freed broke in, "But we should get going for now – try to get a jump start on those who haven't woken up yet."

"Are we splitting up again today?" Gildarts asked. Gajeel nodded.

"Yeah, that seemed to work pretty well yesterday, despite losing Ever and Mira. Salamander, Stripper, you guys are both reserves. What information were you able to gather from watching the Lacrima-vision?"

"There's a Lacrima-vision for the general public," Gray explained, "That one shows all the battles and stuff, but it doesn't reveal information like each guild's hideout or battle tactics. There's another Lacrima-vision exclusively for the Master and the reserves of each guild which shows more specific information for their team. That's how we knew that you guys were teleported here and this was where we were supposed to come at night. Stuff like that. We don't know anything about the other teams other than what was admitted to the public."

"We watched Evergreen single-handedly undo the Trimens." Natsu added, "But both her and Mira got totally steamrolled by that little girl from Manticore."

"One person took out the both of them?" Gildarts frowned.

"Within five minutes of each other."

"Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" Freed glared, "I was trying to keep track of our points, remember? Now I'll have to add three more to the list for the Trimens."

"How did she manage that?" Gajeel asked, ignoring Freed.

"We're not sure of the specifics," Gray replied darkly, "But from what I could gather, she forces you to relive your worst nightmares."

Gajeel had heard enough around the guild to put together the pieces of Gray's past. He knew that if the Ice mage was forced to 'relive his worst nightmares' he'd be virtually ruined.

"That sounds pretty dark..." Gildarts commented doubtfully. Gray shrugged.

"Believe what you want, but that's what I got out of it from watching the Lacrima-vision."

A heavy silence fell as everyone contemplated the effects of what had just been said. Gajeel looked out towards the half-risen sun, lost in thought; thoughts mostly about Metallica with a sprinkling of Levy here and there…

{}{}{}{}{}{}

A hunter stalking his prey, Gajeel had been following the skinny bearded man from Manticore Emerald for the past fifteen minutes, waiting for the right chance to strike. The man didn't seem to have a particular destination in mind; rather it just looked like he was meandering aimlessly through the town, waiting to bump into someone.

As they made their way through a particularly twisty part of the maze of roads, Gajeel struggled to keep up, having to move quicker than he'd have liked to keep the man within his sights. His focus on speed caused his caution to falter, and his foot carelessly skipped a stone on the pavement, which made a loud clattering sound as it bounced along the road, coming to rest at the skinny man's heel.

Gajeel ducked into a sidestreet but he wasn't quick enough – he'd already been spotted.

Rather than turn to face him, the man took off running. Gajeel abandoned all attempts to stay hidden and followed, much faster now that he didn't have to worry about being quiet.

"Come on and fight me you coward." The Iron Dragonslayer growled. The man's only response was to run faster. Gajeel, seriously ticked by now, put on a burst of speed, slowly gaining on the man.

Suddenly, he collided with something and fell to the ground with a grunt.

"Ow." Someone hissed. Gajeel knew that voice.

"Shrimp?"

"Gajeel!" Levy noticed him for the first time.

"There's a cut on your forehead." Gajeel pointed out the obvious as a trickle of blood dripped down into Levy's eye. She reached up to touch the cut, smearing the blood across her brow.

"I think one of the bolts on your jacket cut me when I ran into you." She replied, gesturing to Gajeel's chest which had a smear of red on it. "Sorry; it looks like I got blood on your jacket."

"Ah shit, don't apologize." Gajeel scowled, "It was my fault anyway – I wasn't looking where I was going. I…sorry."

"Why were you running?" Levy frowned, "Were you being chased, too?"

"Naw." Gajeel scoffed, "I don't run when I'm chased. I turn and fight like a real man!" It looked like Elfman's favorite phrase was rubbing off. Levy flushed.

"I-I guess I'm not a real man, then. Someone started chasing me almost as soon as I was sent in for Freed so I ran away…"

"Well…it's okay I guess because you're not supposed to be a real man." Gajeel reasoned.

"Then what am I supposed to be?"

"A shrimp."

Levy glared.

_Crap, I said something I wasn't supposed to_.

"Ha! Found you!" a new voice exclaimed in triumph. Gajeel and Levy whipped around.

"Sheila!"

"I've been looking for someone like you." Sheila beamed, "I want to see if you all are as amazing as Wendy-chan says."

"You bet we are!" Gajeel grinned, "I'll take you, one on one!"

"Oh, I'll take the both of you at once. I could take Wendy-chan, given enough time, and I can take you, too."

"Believe me," the Dargonslayer smirked, "No discredit to Wendy, but I'm gonna be way harder to beat."

"Bring it on, then." Sheila beckoned.

"Gihihihi."

**kukuku I am excited to write the next chapter - battles are always fun to write. it will be in levy or Sheila pov - plz review and tell me which you would prefer since I really don't know.**

**I heart Chili ;) and Gray.**

**~ice**


	8. Boxes of Air

**hey guys. chapter 8 I was having severe writer's block so the flow of the writing is not great - so sorry. also it is what I call a "James Patterson Chapter" because it barely makes 1000 words. **

**I know what i'm about to say makes me sound really petty but _somebody please review because i'm losing my motivation!_ (Fairy-FireDragon23, Kishippe, MRose5, don't think I've forgotten you - I really appreciate your support thanks so much! *hugs*)**

**anyway, with Pikachu, the Beatles, and chocolate, I pulled through and wrote the rest of this chapter this afternoon (Sheila POV) plz enjoy!**

Chapter 8

**_Sheila_**

"Sky God's…Boreas!" Sheila shouted, harnessing the Windpower of Boreas, God of the North Winds and sending it Gajeel's way.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel's breath attack managed to divert the wind funnel into a nearby building which collapsed in a pile of dust and rubble. Sheila couldn't help feeling a little impressed – Boreas was one of her more powerful spells, and one that was hard to circumvent, although Wendy and now Gajeel had proven themselves quite capable of blocking it.

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel's arm became a spiked sword as he leaped for her – just the chance Sheila had been waiting for.

"Sky God's Dance." Sheila twisted her torso and spread her arms in an arc, creating a tornado of wind that swept Gajeel into the air.

"Gajeel!" the blue-haired one – Levy; was that her name? – cried anxiously, straining to catch a glimpse of him through the black spirals.

When Gajeel didn't respond or make any move to counterattack, Levy's face grew taught with concern, and Sheila took a flying leap to finish the job.

She found Gajeel rather green-faced, spinning in circles within the whirlwind.

Of course – she had forgotten about the fact that Dragonslayers had severe motion sickness. Gajeel was clutching his stomach as the wind tossed him around in circles like some monster roller coaster – it looked like she had won!

But…not yet.

"SOLID SCRIPT: CALM!" Levy screamed. To Sheila's surprise, her storm was tamed and reduced to a mere breeze, which blew Levy's hair around her face and made her determined expression all the more dramatic.

"So you managed to beat Gajeel by a stroke of luck," She admitted in that soft voice of hers, somehow reminding Sheila of Wendy, "But now it's my turn."

"I'm not beat yet!" Gajeel protested from the ground, then immediately retched and groaned in discomfort.

_This tiny girl is just a shrimp. She can't even trump Gajeel. What can she hope to do against a Godslayer? Then again, I guess I should know better than anyone that a person shouldn't be judged on first impressions._

"Use your brains and take her out, Shrimp." Gajeel coughed. Levy nodded.

"Sky God's Bellow!"

"Solid Script: Box!"

Holding the 'BOX'-shaped box out in front of her, Levy managed to capture the force of the Bellow and slam the lid down, giving it to Gajeel for safekeeping.

"Sky God's Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!" Sheila spread her arms wide as clouds gathered overhead.

"Solid Script: Giant Box!" Levy responded.

_You won't be able to harness this one, Levy._

To her annoyance, another box was given to Gajeel to protect them from the storm raging inside it.

And so it went for several minutes; Sheila would attempt to hit Levy with a Sky God's spell, only to have it captured in a box. Finally, irritated and tired, Sheila glared, "Is that all you can do?"

"No." Levy glared right back, "Solid Script: Fissure!"

The crack beneath Sheila's feet spelled 'FISSURE' as it spread across the pavement. The Sky Godslayer easily soared into the air to avoid falling into the cracked earth.

Scowling in the air, Sheila again tried her Boreas spell. Normally, she combined the twin tendrils of wind into one giant spiral, but now she kept them separate, coming at Levy from both left and right, in hopes that the dual attack would overwhelm the Fairy Tail mage.

Just as the spell was about to hit her, Levy shrieked, "Gajeel, _NOW!"_

Obliging, the Dragonslayer opened the lids of the boxes all at once, sending nine Sky Godslayer spells straight at Sheila – enough to kill a normal person.

Sheila took a deep breath in the fragile hope that she'd be able to eat her own attacks, to no avail.

"SKY GOD'S…BELLOW!" she used up every last ounce of her strength in that last spell, only managing to lessen the attack enough to avoid being ripped to shreds before the force blasted her, tossing her into the air with no more effort than she would a rag doll.

By the time Sheila's spells were through with her, she ached all over, and her thoughts were foggy as she lay sprawled on the pavement.

"Oh, I hope she's alright." The sound of Levy's voice was faraway and even harder to discern was Gajeel's reply.

"She'll be okay – that kid is tougher than she looks. But I think she's out for good. Nice job, Shrimp."

_I failed you, Lyon…Lamia…Master. Forgive me._

And then it all faded out as Sheila lost consciousness.

…

The girl woke to the clatters of the infirmary. She tried to sit up and immediately fell back down again with a groan, clutching her bandaged head.

"Ugh." Sheila coughed, "What…what happened?"

"Sheila! You're awake!" a flash of pink blurred across the room and clutched Sheila's hand anxiously.

"Sherry! You're here? You got out, too?" Sheila asked as she remembered the previous events, her tongue thick as she tried to form the words. "And Lyon? Or have the Games ended already? Who won?" as she noticed another figure walking up to her.

"The Games are still in session." Lyon replied. "It's day three of the second trial and Blue Pegasus has two members left, Mermaid Heel has Kagura and some reserves, we're down to all of our reserves, Manticore has three preliminary team members and two reserves, and Fairy Tail's leading – they have two preliminaries and three reserves."

"I'm sorry I didn't win against Levy guys…I should've been able to beat her." Sheila looked away.

"Levy's more than she seems." Lyon admitted, "You did good to beat Gajeel that quickly, though."

"No, Levy was right – that was just luck." The Godslayer replied nonchalantly.

"Aw, you're too modest, little cousin." Sherry smiled, patting her hand with a smile.

"Who got you guys out?" Sheila asked.

"Jenny." Sherry answered.

"Kagura."

"Hm, trust Kagura." Sheila said with a small laugh. "But didn't you say we were down to all our reserves? Doesn't that mean someone got Jura?"

"Hai." The deep voice of Jura entered the scene. "I was no match for Gildarts."

"On the contratry, you two were an excellent match." Lyon contradicted. "That battle was over an hour long, and you did some fair damage to Gildarts."

"Ah, but not to his ego." Jura laughed. "Nothing can hurt a Fairy Tail wizard's ego."

"Hai." Sherry agreed with a nostalgic smile, "I learned that lesson the hard way."

**yes, trust Kagura XD**

**next chapter...I think I will write one I've been looking forward to; ERZA!**

**TTFN ~ice**


	9. Midnight's Apprentice

**Erza pwning bad guys in chapter 9! yayz!**

**writers block has gone (for now) so this chapter is better than chapt. 8 and...I don't really know what's gonna happen next chapter...:P**

**anyway, please enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 9

**_Erza_**

"It's time to send in the big guns." Makarov sighed as Levy finally went down under a dual attack by two Mermaid Heel women. The all-female guild had given it their best shot, but at this point in the game, even with Kagura, they were just a little too far behind to catch up to Fairy Tail and Manticore Emerald, who were battling neck-and-neck for the top spot.

"Erza, you're up."

Erza nodded. "Hai, Master."

…

Now, just outside the town's library, Erza materialized after teleportation, resisting the urge to grip the hilt of her sword in case there was anyone around – she didn't want to seem paranoid in front of the whole of Fiore.

Paranoid. Erza Scarlet. Yeah right.

After carefully studying the Lacrima-vision, Erza had concluded the positions of most of the Manticore Emerald wizards – those she was meant to be targeting.

First target: Katsuko Oomara.

Last seen: 1407 3rd Street

Magic: Reflector Magic

Skill level: S-Class

Erza found her right where she expected. Katsuko was travelling by rooftop so as to get a better view of the situation below; a smart move.

"I see you, Titania."

It was the first time Erza had heard her speak. Her voice was strong and rough, and her tone guarded.

"I see you, too, Oomara."

"Not anymore."

Katsuko's appearance took on the familiar translucent quality of an illusion. Erza closed her real eye, leaving the artificial one open, and Katsuko's figure became clear to see as she leaped down from the roof and waited for Erza to try and strike.

"I still…" the redhead growled, swinging a sword at her opponent, "See you."

"Agh!" Katsuko partially dodged the strike but still took a cut on her forearm. "I knew about your artificial eye but you still shouldn't be able to see me! I simply reflect light off my body!"

"This eye is not to be taken lightly." Erza explained, striking again. This time, the sword glanced off a shield that Katsuko flung between them, leaving the latter unhurt. "It was crafted with the magic of the Healer Porlyusica herself, and it perceives light differently than an ordinary human eye."

"A lost advantage," Katsuko replied, redirecting anther swing by Erza, "But no matter. I can still deflect all the blows you fling at me."

"I have fought your kind before." Erza snarled, "I know how your magic works. You are not an exception."

"Don't get too cocky, Titania. Surely, you of all people know that underestimating an opponent is ultimately one's downfall…"

"Yes, you are right." Era was forced to concede, "My opponents learned their lesson after battling with me, and I must refrain from making their same mistakes." _Damn_, why couldn't she get a hit?

Frustrated at having her sword merely glance off of the Reflector mage, Erza resorted to what had led her to victory over Midnight: her fists.

Again, she was met with a wall of invisible glass without laying a finger on Katsuko. Erza cursed quietly in frustration.

"I didn't come into the Grand Magic Games unprepared, Titania – I learned lots from your battle with Midnight."

_How does she know about that?!_

"And I learned lots," Katsuko added, twirling a finger and wrapping Erza in her armor as Midnight had done, "From Midnight himself."

"Hold on." Erza frowned, "If Midnight lived in the Tower of Heaven when he was young, then learned magic and immediately added his prayer to the Oracion Seis, then…" she trailed off, not wanting to make potentially false accusations in front of the Lacrima-camera that was sure to be around here somewhere, broadcasting to the public.

But Katsuko understood. "Yes." She said, twisting Erza's armor tight around her, "The answer to your question is yes."

"Then you are –"

"Yes. It will happen any moment now."

"What will happen?"

"Well if I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise." Katsuko frowned innocently.

"Gyah!" Erza focused all her strength on pushing back the force of Katsuko's magic. "Re…quip!"

"It won't work." Katsuko smirked, once again rendering Erza immobile, "I've already mastered the Robe of Yuen."

"I figured as much." Erza replied, "But it was worth a shot. However, there is a limitation to everyone's powers. It's just a matter of finding it."

"I have no limitations." Katsuko growled.

"Now who's being cocky?" Erza glared. "Let's see if you can handle the strongest armor in my arsenal. One I use only rarely. Requip!"

"The Armor of Nakagami?" Katsuko guessed as Erza's body took on the usual glow of requipping. "It still won't work."

"No." Erza corrected. "The Nakagami is my most powerful. I said I was requipping into my strongest armor."

"But," Katsuki stared, aghast as she saw the results of Erza's requip, "You're not wearing any armor! That's just pants and bandages and a katana."

"Sometimes," Erza snarled, rushing forward, "Pants and bandages and a katana can do a hell of a lot more than any armor."

"With these pants, these bandages, and this katana," she continued, "I carry the power of friendship, I carry the bonds of a true guild, and I carry with them my pride."

Katsuko twirled her fingers in another attempt to wrap Erza up like a mummy.

"Why isn't it working?!"

"Because the specialty of Knight mages," Erza explained, "is to requip into different armors, and the ability of Reflector mages is to use a different magic's specialty against them, you are able to twist my armor. But since this outfit doesn't count as armor, you can't manipulate it."

"That's bullshit!" the other woman growled, trying once again to twist Erza's clothing around her, to no avail. Erza saw her chance, diving in to push her katana up under Katsuko's chin.

"Although you may have surpassed Midnight's skill level, since you studied under him, the fundamentals of your magic are the same as his – you can go on the offensive or on the defensive but not both. I believe this round is mine, Oomara."

"Fuck you, Scarlet." Katsuko spat. Erza smiled slightly.

"You remind me of Knightwalker. I know you're a good person, somewhere deep down."

"I will never be a good person." Katsuko's eyes flashed. "I was born rotten – I don't know what it's like to be a good person."

"No-one is born a bad person." Erza replied, "And no one is completely good or bad; we all have a little of both in us. It's pure luck that determines whether we are led to walk during the night or during the day. And if you find yourself walking through pitch," Erza shrugged, "Just remember that you can always wake up in the morning."

"Maybe that's true for you." Katsuko glared, "But I was condemned from the start. Don't humiliate me with words as well as your sword, Titania."

"As you wish." Erza complied, "But I'll have to –"

A voice cut her off as it boomed out of the loudspeakers. "Ladies, Gentlemen, residents of Fiore, we're terribly sorry, but these Games will no longer be in session..."

Katsuko smirked, though Erza's katana was still at her neck. "It has begun."

**well, did you like Erza's little sermon? XD got any ideas about what katsuko's talking about? (you see? there is a reason she's like midnight!)**

**fufufufu possible FreedxMirajane next chapter (or maybe just one-sided FreedxMirajane)**

**~ice**


	10. Sudden Death

**I was procrastinating on this chapter until...I had the amazingly awesome light-bulb-over-your-head idea to put FROSCH into this story *hint hint***

**I was totally making this chapter up as I went along so there ended up not being as much FreedxMira as I wanted...oh well.**

**guest, Blair, thank you so much for reviewing; it really means a lot to me :) and I promise there will definitely be some Mirajane and some Eve action later on. and even though Ichiya is powerful, he is also a COMPLETE IDIOT and has a way to high opinion of himself, and quite frankly, he scares me.**

**anyway, I hope you like chapter 10 and please review!**

Chapter 10

**_Freed_**

The view of the fight between Erza and Katsuko came to an abrupt halt as the Lacrima-visions zapped out of existence, and a new voice emitted from the speakers in the stadium.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, residents of Fiore, we're terribly sorry, but these Games will no longer be in session."

Freed could hear the smile in the speaker's voice as confusion broke out among the spectators. Even he, who was among the socially-challenged of his age group, could tell that something was off.

Surprisingly, his first thought was for Mirajane's safety. His second was for the rest of the Raijinshu and Laxus, and his third was for everyone else.

"Please remained focused on the Lacrima-vision as we explain _why_ this event has come to such a sudden standstill." The voice continued, the stadium filling with _bzzip!_s as the Lacrima-visions reappeared.

"You see, we have been working for a number of years now on a _very_ special project. This land, this country of Fiore, has grown weak over the past eight or so years. We were once a glorious nation, were we not? Home to the great Dragons, the essence of magic itself…and what are we now? A home to humans. Weaklings who take the power of magic and use it for their own needs. _Humans_ have torn this world apart, we have ravaged this land to suit it to our own purposes. And now Fiore is but a fraction of a shadow of what it once was. We aim to restore this place to its former glory. To reinstall the Great Powers. We will make this land strong! For we will be the saviors of Fiore! We were spit on, crushed under the boots of the 'proper guilds', denied our rightful recognition. But no more! Behold, the Dark Guilds of Fiore, who have banded together to piece together the broken past and create a stronger future!

"This atrocity, this that has come from the result of the human presence, this must be vanquished! The Dragons will be revived, the power of their magic will be brought back to life, and the humans must be obliterated! Join us in our fight for a better future, for the future of our nation, Fiore!"

There was complete silence for a moment.

_They're nutballs! Absolute nutballs!_ Freed thought in disbelief, as the meaning of the voice's preaching sunk in. _They're crazy._

Finally someone spoke. Cana shouted a very offensive word accompanied by a very rude hand gesture at the nearest speaker, which in turn spurred the rest of Fairy Tail, and eventually the whole stadium to do the same. Shouts of "We'll never go along with you bastards!' and 'What kind of hellish idea is that?!' could be heard above the others.

"Ah, but dear friends," the voice leered, "I believe that we have collected some important possessions of yours…take a look."

New pictues played across the screen. The crowd grew silent save the few gasps and angry shouts that came from those who were able to faster comprehend the images before them.

Five figures could be distinguished. Bruised, battered, and beaten. All five hung from a stone wall by their wrists held in iron manacles chained to the wall.

Bisca held onto Azuka tightly, turning her daughter's face away from the screen.

"Mommy is this pretend?" the little girl's eyes were wide and filmed over with tears, sensing Bisca's fear.

One figure, the second from the left, stood out to Freed. A mass of silver hair, bunched in a hairbow at the front, a tattered pink dress, pale skin bloodied, one webbed wing the result of a failed attempt at a Takeover.

It wasn't until Freed heard Lisanna and Elfman's cries of distress that it finally got to his brain, and he leaned over the railing of the stadium and hurled his lunch.

"_Oneechan!"_

_"Mira-nee!"_

"Who else do they have?" Freed asked Juvia who was sitting next to him, not able to bring himself to look at the screen.

"Juvia sees Sheila," she answered firmly, "Millianna, Eve, and…I'm not sure but that last one looks an awful lot like that Exceed from Sabertooth that was hanging around last year."

"The red one or the one in the frog suit?"

"The frog."

"…I see." Freed replied, "And there isn't anyone from Manticore Emerald?"

"Juvia doesn't think so." Juvia shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, Freed. If there isn't anyone up there from their guild then they must be in on it."

"Which means they're a Dark Guild." Makarov added, overhearing their conversation. His eyes were smoldering and his arms were crossed in the classic Fairy Tail Stance of Defiance, so often worn by Natsu.

"All of those people except Frosch were in the infirmary." Happy pointed out anxiously, "I can't imagine how the Dark Guilds were able to kidnap them."

"I can." Laxus glared, looking more like his grandfather than ever. His fingertips were crackling with lightning energy and Freed didn't care to know what his idol was imagining just then.

"You know,' the voice started up again, still able to be heard over the howls of the crowd. "The situation seems to have gotten awfully serious now that the Games have ended. I do believe that we are in need of a little entertainment. Allow me to explain the rules of our next trial…

"As you can see, one member each from Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, and Sabertooth have been taken into our care. Each of these guilds will send one of their present members to retrieve their guildmate, of which all five are located somewhere in the maze that has been created. The member who finds their guildmate first will be allowed to live, along with the rest of their guild. At the end of all this, everyone else…will die. Guild Masters and S-class mages will _not_ be permitted to participate in this event. Try any funny business and these five will be killed on the spot. Masters, please send your chosen participant down to the marked starting area in five minutes…good luck."

There was a _snick_ as the microphones were cut off and pandemonium broke out within the crowd.

"Warren!" Makarov barked.

"Sensei?!" Warren asked, rushing over.

"Get me a telepathy link with the Masters of the other guilds. Quickly!"

"Hai." Warren obeyed, touching two fingers to his head.

"Who will go in to retrieve Mirajane?" Juvia asked, calmly looking around.

"Do you even need to ask?" If looks could kill, every single person in the stadium would have been long dead at the hands of Elfman's expression. Freed had been about to volunteer but the words died in his throat as he realized Elfman would be the obvious choice, and for a good reason.

"Those sons of bitches." Elfman snarled, "They're gonna regret ever messing with my Nee-chan."

"Elfman, before you go," Makarov broke in, his telepathy link broken, "Let me tell you the plan."

**next chapter will of course be Elfman POV.**

**poor Azuka *sniff*. It will be okay *pat pat***

**anyway, thx for reading.**

**~ice**


	11. Tricks and Trials of a Real Man

**chapter 11 is looong (by my standards at least)**

**real men are yellow, yes indeed...;)**

**...nothin' much else to say. please r&r!**

Chapter 11

Elfman was seriously pissed.

No, _pissed_ didn't even begin to describe it. What he was feeling was more akin to however Natsu had felt when he had seen what Gajeel had done to the Fairy Tail guild hall at the beginning of the Phantom War.

Now, down by the start of the maze, he glanced around at the others.

There was Sherry from Lamia, Risley from Mermaid, Hibiki from Blue Pegasus, and Rogue from Sabertooth. A good team.

A man allied with the Dark Guilds was holding one of the teleportation mages at gunpoint, a snarl pasted onto his features.

"You guys try any funny business and this guy's dead. Same goes for you, Telepotty. You send them anywhere 'cept where you was told, you ain't gonna be nothin' but a greasy spot, ya hear?"

"Y-yessir!" the teleportation mage squeaked, sweating buckets with fear.

"Real men don't take hostages." Elfman spat. The man cocked the gun for emphasis.

"You say somethin' Fatso?"

"What did you call me?"

"Don't look down on the chubby." Risley butted in. Sherry put a hand on her arm.

"Let's take it easy, guys. We're not here to pick a fight with this man, unlovable as he is."

"Does everyone know the plan?" Hibiki asked quietly. The team nodded.

"Good. Stay where you are teleported until I contact you. Now let's go."

"Wait, Rogue." Elfman pointed at Rogue, "Natsu says to tell you to take care of Frosch."

"What the heck does he think I'm doing?" Rogue snapped.

Elfman shrugged, "He just said to tell you…that's all."

Elfman found himself teleported to a stone passageway, about three times as tall as he was and twice as wide, lit by torches lining the walls. He immediately felt the claustrophobia set in, but reminded himself what sort of situation he was in.

_Mirajane. They have Mirajane. _

Spurred on by the familiar presence of his old friend, rage, Elfman stepped forward as he heard Hibiki's voice in his head.

"_Good news, guys. I managed to hack the system and get a crude map of this place. Here, I'll download it into all of your heads."_

_"Do I even want to know what kind of system you were hacking into?" _Sherry asked dryly.

_"No." _was the curt reply.

Suddenly, a maze appeared in Elfman's head, with five dots in various places.

_"Okay_," Hibiki explained, _"Sherry, you're the pink dot. Rogue, you're blue, Elfman yellow, Risley green, and I am purple."_

_"Real men are yellow." _Elfman agreed.

_"I wasn't able to locate our friends but I'd assume they'd have placed us all equal distances from them, so let's try to head for the center of the maze."_

_"That seems reasonable." _Rogue replied _"But we should try not to show that we're in contact with each other or the Dark Alliance might suspect 'funny business'"_

_"Sabertooth is right." _Risley spoke up, _"Pegasus, can you maintain your telepathy link without your fingers on your forehead?"_

_"I can but it takes much more magic energy and I'm using up a lot just keeping the map up to date."_ Hibiki answered.

_"Very well,_" Risley's dot had already started moving forward, and Elfman decided that he had better get going too. _"Just pretend you're talking to Master Pegasus, or something._"

_"Risley, do you call everyone by their guild name so that you won't have to remember their individual names?"_

_"Don't look down on those with short-term memory, Lamia."_

{}{}{}{}{}{}

Elfman could tell by his placement on the map that he was getting close to the center of the maze.

_Mira-nee, I'm coming – hold on!_

Stupid torches. They allowed for little light in the stone tunnels, and Elfman couldn't shake the feeling that he was underground somewhere. Every sound was magnified by a thousand in the tunnels, so every little drip of water, every step could be heard several yards away.

A sudden excited voice broke into his musings.

_"I've found them!" _Sherry announced, _"Sheila!"_

_"Don't show yourself!" _Hibiki warned her, _"Remember the plan!_"

_"Yeah, yeah. I remember."_ Sherry griped, _"Come fast, you guys. I want to rescue them!"_

Elfman found Sherry on the map and altered his course a little to the right. It wasn't long before he arrived in the same spot.

Several passageways led into an open square-shaped area with a stone structure in the middle, to which the five hostages had been chained. Elfman spotted Mirajane at once, slumped as she had been on the Lacrima-vision.

_"At least they didn't do anything to them while we were in the maze._" Rogue commented, following Elfman's line of thought.

_"Don't jinx it."_ Risley cautioned in response.

_"I can't keep this up,_" Hibiki, last to arrive, broke in irritably over the telepathy link. _"I'm going to have to shut down the map and then the telepathy link."_

Elfman's mental vision of the map abruptly winked out of existence.

_"Is everyone here? Yes? Good. Then we'll all step into the open on three. Ready? One. Two. Three."_

Elfman stepped out and Hibiki terminated the telepathy link.

"We're all here. We all got here at the same time." Rogue shouted into the sky, "We _all_ get to live."

Elfman started as five shapes materialized around the hostages; the result of a teleportation.

"Now, Now." The blue-striped one – Katsuko, chided, "You all didn't play by the rules. And didn't we agree that if you didn't comply, then our dear friends here would bear the brunt of your mistake?"

"You planned for this, didn't you? You expected us to work as a team." Hibiki asked. Katsuko nodded.

"Predictable, as always. You proper guilds always have to be so noble and chivalrous, don't you? But when it comes to us Dark Guilds, you don't even give us a second thought, not even a chance."

"There's a reason you're labeled 'Dark Guild', Manticore." Risley growled threateningly. Her tone was not missed by the young blond man, who stepped forward.

"You don't seem to be very happy with the turn in the situation." He smirked. His arrogance was painfully obvious, which only served to feed Elfman's anger.

"Of course I'm not happy!" Risley snapped, "You've kidnapped Millianna and the others and now you're forcing us against one another when we should be fighting _you_; the real enemy."

"Oh, so you want to fight?" it was plain to see that this was exactly the opportunity that Manticore Emerald had been waiting for.

"No, that's not –"

"Very well, then." The blond man cut her off, "It's high time we put our plan into action. You five will be the first to die for our cause, and after that, your friends here and then everyone else."

"You try that. See what happens!" Elfman snarled, morphing into his Full-Body-Takeover.

"I want this one." The raven-haired teenager pointed at Elfman, looking to the blond man and Katsuko, who seemed to be the leaders of the group.

"Okay, Hira." Katsuko confirmed with a nod.

"And I'm taking _him_." Risley indicated the fat man, a gravity mage as well as she if Elfman's memory served him.

"Why do I have to battle a weakling like her?" the fat man glared irritably.

"Hey! Don't look down on mermaids!"

"Any other claims before we begin?" the blond one looked around mildly.

"Yeah." Rogue nodded, eyes flicking over to Frosch, who seemed to be stirring, "I'm gonna battle you."

"I'm not waiting any longer!" Elfman broke in, having completed his Beast Form and growing twice his size, "You_ don't. Touch. My. SISTER_!"

As if his challenge was a cue, the battle began, confidence written all over the faces of the Dark Mages. Elfman faced his opponent – Hira.

"Your sisters are very important to you, aren't they?" Hira asked, mock admiration filling her voice as she dodged Elfman's swing.

"Why do you care?" the growl from Elfman's bestial vocal cords was hardly decipherable, but the girl seemed to understand.

"Do you know what kind of magic I use?"

"Frankly, I don't give a shit." he answered, "Anyone who hurts my Nee-chan will not live to tell the tale."

"Ooh, talking big, are we?"Hira laughed. A fleeting thought crossed Elfman's mind as to what could've happened to this girl to make her this way, but was discarded as he was distracted by her bolt of magic.

"I use Fear magic," she explained, "It allows me to see a person's worst fears…and twist them to my advantage. Now, let's see what _you_ are afraid of, Elfman."

"No." Elfman growled quietly as Hira's black energy caught him square in the chest, throwing his huge body to the ground. Already, he could hear her voice in his head as he regained his balance.

"Ah, you fear for the safety of your sisters." Hira commented in an interested tone, "A noble sentiment, but predictable. Let's see…" she paused. "I wonder what might happen if…say, you lost control of your Beast Takeover, hm?"

"NO!" he repeated, louder this time. Out of the corner of his eye, Elfman saw Hibiki, already unconscious after a short battle, and Sherry's Marionette magic was being reduced to nothing as she battled Katsuko. Risley was stuck in place, her gravitational pull increased so much by the fat man's magic that she had been rendered immobile. Rogue seemed to be doing better, going blow for blow with the blond man.

Elfman's concentration on his comrades was broken as the Fear Magic took effect. He saw the images from his past.

_Lisanna!_

_"I know you're in there, Nii-chan. Somewhere deep down, Elf-nii is in there." Lisanna spread her arms wide in a welcoming gesture as Mira sprinted forward._

_"Lisanna, get away!" she shrieked. But she was too late. Already, Elfman's arm was swinging forward, much as he fought against it._

"She's not dead! She's not dead!" Elfman shouted aloud, dropping to his knees, picturing Lisanna's face when he had last seen her, hours ago.

"Not enough, is it?" Hira asked, "Well, let's crank it up a notch."

_Elfman's arms swung in and out of view again and again. Lisanna and Mira were hardly recognizable through the blood that ran down their faces, staining their clothes. Glassy-eyed, the Strauss sisters stared into space, unseeing._

_"Stop! Elfman stop it!" tears poured down Evergreen's face as she watched from the other side of a glass wall. Makarov was there, as was Natsu, Gray, Laxus, Erza, and the rest of Fairy Tail. Half of them were crying uncontrollably as they watched Elfman bloody his sisters, and half of them were seething with anger._

"That's not…happening!" Elfman told Hira, "You're just making that up! It's not real!"

"They're your fears, Elfman, not mine." The teenager shrugged apologetically, not an ounce of remorse in her tone.

"Real men…aren't afraid." Yet even as he said it, Elfman's conscious faded into blissful oblivion.

_I've…lost._

**okay, just to clarify about Hira: for hira's magic to work, she has to strike the target with a bolt of her black magic, which allows her to detect the victim's fears and then mess with them. when she struck mirajane in the Evergreen pov chapter, mira was unresponsive because she was in shock from the images hira was showing her before she passed out. in the battle w/ elfman, the first thing she showed him was his memories of the s-class job where lisanna 'died', and the second scene she showed him she made up to torture him further.**

**next chapter...heehee you just wait... :) *evil laugh***

**~ice**


	12. To Be or Not To Be

**quoting shakespeare chapter 12. it makes me feel so smart XD. also inspired by 21 Guns - Green Day**

**MUAHAHAHAHAHA! I am so evil this chapter! heheheh *wrings hands evilly***

**ok so I went on the FT wiki and apparently, Frosch is gender-neutral and referred to as 'it'. I have seen both 'he' and 'she' used in the manga, so I took it upon myself to decide Frosch's gender. for this story, Frosch will be female because...well...I cant see her as a ****_him_****...**

**anyway, please review! hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 12

**_Rogue _**

"Elfman!"

Rogue turned at the sound of Sherry's voice. He and she seemed to be the only ones left standing, though it was clear that Sherry wouldn't be able to hold off Katsuko for much longer.

_Shit! We're losing!_

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue yelled, blowing his breath attack straight at the blond man.

"Bad idea," the blond smirked, "I use Air magic, remember? That Roar is nothing but a mere trifle."

Rogue's satisfaction was raised an inch in seeing that his attack seemed to be more than a trifle, though it was still pushed aside.

"Shadow Dragon's…Claw!" Rogue swiped at his opponent with the giant claw, which, even though it was made of shadow, was still substantial enough to leave a red streak all the way across the blond man's face. He hissed in pain, reaching up to touch the cut.

"Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

The blond man spat blood, new hatred gleaming in his eyes.

"You've ruined my looks with that. What happens when I hurt something that's important to _you_?"

"You already have." Rogue glared. The Dark Mage took no notice.

"Air Make: Slicer!" this time he wasn't aiming for Rogue, but rather a small green-and-pink shape to his left.

"FROSCH!" Rogue screamed, reaching forward. But a spray of blood erupted from Frosch's stomach where the air had sliced her, jolting her awake.

Distracted as he was, Rogue didn't see or hear the punch of compacted air until it was too late. Grounded, Rogue grunted in pain as he felt something in his shoulder pop.

"Air Make: Bind." Rogue was abruptly secured into place by invisible ropes of air, unable to roll away or get back on his feet.

"Air Make: Blade." The blond man stood over him, a triumphant version of his usual expression smirking down at him. Rogue grasped desperately for an idea; what to do? What to do? The last time he'd tried melting into shadow, his evil alter-ego, Shadow, had taken control of him, and he'd do anything rather than go through that experience again.

_Ah, shit, what do I do?_

Rogue squeezed his eyes shut as the air blade dropped towards his chest, silently sending up a prayer of sorts.

_God help me. If you don't, I understand but please watch over Frosch._

And his prayers were answered, though not in the way he expected.

"Ice Make: Shield!"

A sheet of ice flashed over Rogue, stopping the air magic in its tracks.

"Ooh, Gray-sama you are sooooo brave!" another voice drooled, and suddenly, Rogue was surrounded by people. People he recognized from other guilds, as well as his own.

"You okay?" a bare-chested man entered into Rogue's view, the Fairy Tail emblem stamped on his chest. He seemed vaguely familiar, maybe someone who had been hanging around Natsu or that cute blond chick from the same guild.

"Th-thanks." Rogue nodded as the Ice mage helped him up; bending his pride to others was not something that came easily to him, and he didn't usually say the words 'thank you' to anyone except Frosch occasionally.

_Frosch_

"Frosch!" Rogue panicked as he remembered the events of the past few minutes. He didn't know what was going on or why all these people were here, but right now he was just glad to be alive and Frosch was his priority.

Gildarts Clive was blasting apart the manacles that had chained the prisoners, and Rogue rushed over to catch Frosch as she fell from her hanging spot on the wall. Her blood stained his shaking hands but he didn't care, undoing her pink frog suit. So much blood was pouring from her stomach that he couldn't even find the cut.

_'Take care of Frosch'_ was what Natsu had wanted him to know. Somehow, the Fire Dragonslayer had known this was going to happen.

"Rogue…" Frosch cracked her eyes open, bringing Rogue back to the present.

"Frosch, it's gonna be okay. I promise it's gonna be okay." The words were as much for his benefit as they were for hers.

_Please let Frosch live. Please, please, I'm begging you!_

Once again, his prayers were answered by a Fairy Tail mage.

"Do you need me to heal your friend?" a small figure asked, kneeling down beside them. it took a moment for Rogue to recognize her.

_That's that girl that battled Sheila last year. Wendy – the Sky Dragonslayer. That's right! She can use healing magic!_

"Yes." He answered. Then, "Where did everyone come from?"

"We saw that you guys needed help," Wendy replied, "So the guilds grouped together and came. Probably more people came than was needed," she observed, looking around, "But nobody wanted to miss out on anything, so everyone from Fairy Tail, Lamia, Pegasus, Mermaid, and Sabertooth is here."

"I see."

Wendy held her hands out over Frosch's wound, lighting them both up with blue healing magic. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she gasped a little as the magic died down.

"What happened?! Can't you heal her?!" Rogue asked. Wendy shook her head sadly, the glint of a tear in the corner of her eye.

"She's been mortally wounded." Wendy whispered, "My magic can't heal fatal wounds. If it were poison I'd be able to expel it from her body, but it's a wound, plain and simple. I'm sorry. I'm useless…"

"Fro doesn't think so." Frosch was still able to muster up a smile, despite being told that she wouldn't recover. "It's just my time, is all."

_Frosch…is going to die?_

"Frosch…" Rogue's voice caught in his throat as he held his friend tight. "Please don't leave me. Please don't."

"Fro won't leave you!" Frosch argued with weak indigence.

"Frosch…I don't think you have a choice." It broke Rogue's heart to say it.

"That's not what I meant." Frosch corrected. "Just because my body is dead doesn't mean I've left you."

"That's right." Wendy agreed quietly from the corner.

"To be or not to be. That is the question." The Exceed continued. "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune…well, I know I won't have to face a Sea of Troubles any longer. But Rogue, you are my best friend. You taught me that it's okay to be a frog in a cat's body. We've been through years of turmoil and hardship together. My life might end here, but right now, I'm choosing To Be. I want you to remember me, Rogue. Because as long as you remember me, then I will exist." Her breathing grew shallower and shallower until it was barely discernable.

"Of course." Rogue replied, tears running down his face, "Of course I'll remember you. I'll fight for you always. Because friends are the most important things a person can have."

"Fro. . .agrees."

"Goodbye, Frosch." The Dragonslayer whispered, closing her eyelids with his index and middle fingers.

_"That blond man over there." _Leering, Shadow rose up from the depths of Rogues conscience where he had been lurking, _"He's the one who killed her. I must have my revenge! You and I will kill him together."_

_"NO!" _Rogue replied, squashing Shaow's voice down back to where it had come from, _"You think Frosch would want that? You are _not_ taking over, Shadow. Not again."_

_"You must face the truth. I am who you really are. You are Shadow."_

_"I am _Rogue_" _he corrected firmly. _"I am Rogue, I am Rogue, I am Rogue._"

_"…You may have won for now,_" Shadow sunk back down into the darkness, _"But I'll find a way to breathe with your lungs, to run with your legs, to capture your magic. And when that day comes, Rogue will be no more."_

**I can't see frosch as being one to quote Shakespeare, but I couldn't resist throwing it in there...**

**well, see you next chapter with Natsu!**

**~ice**


	13. Out of the Frying Pan Into the Fire

**heheheh. I love when bad people turn good :) (the scene in chapter whatever-it-was where Gray recognizes Ultear after she turns old nearly killed me. I cried. T.T probably my favorite scene in the whole series so far...)**

**anyway, chapter 13 is here, fueled by Pink and Linkin Park, not to mention Passenger.**

**this story is kind of getting close to the end. can't tell how many more chapters there will be but if I had to guess i'd say maybe 3-ish?**

**well, please enjoy and review! **

Chapter 13

**_Natsu_**

Natsu's confidence was full-force as he delivered some serious blows to the fat man for the second time in three days. Unfortunately, the proper guilds' impending victory over the five Manticore Emerald mages was not to be for good.

Not long after the Alliance of Scrupulous Sorcerers (the name Ichiya had decided for the guilds allied against the Dark Mages, though Natsu and several others insisted on calling it "ASS") had arrived on the scene, a new mass of people rose up to counter them; wizards from across the conspiring Dark Guilds, some of them very formidable-looking.

No problem, right? Those bitches were dealing with Fairy Tail, and six Dragonslayers besides.

Natsu's confidence faltered only for a minute as he saw just how many Dark Mages had been sent to battle them. Roughly twice the amount of forces that ASS had accumulated.

"Jeez, Lucy. Look how many there are…" he swallowed as the fat man fell to the ground, unconscious.

"It's not often I see that expression, Natsu. Are you _scaaared_?" Lucy teased. Natsu recovered himself at once.

"Of course not! I was just surprised!"

"It's alright." Lucy smirked, "We'll wipe them out, no problem. Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo! Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio! Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed, nodding as he whizzed around in circles.

"I'll help you, Lucy." A familiar voice declared firmly. It was Yukino from Sabertooth, pulling out her keys. "Open, Gates of the Twin Fish, Pisces, and of the Scales, Libra!"

"Mira, you're in no condition to battle!" Freed's exasperated voice reached Natsu from not far away, where he was confronting Mirajane who had already transformed into her Satan Soul Takeover.

"I'm stronger in this form," she argued sternly, "Now step aside, Freed. Or are you going to force me to do away with you before the battle's even begun? I can, you know. I have a demonic heart right now. A merciless, demonic heart."

Freed scowled, unable to decide whether she was joking or not. But since he made no further move to stop her, Natsu figured he had rested his case.

"Animal Takeover: Tiger!" Lisanna gave Natsu a reassuring nod and he grinned back, lighting his hands on fire.

Erza remained in her regular armor, while Ichiya had consumed one of his potions and doubled in size, a grotesque muscular figure that made even Natsu shudder and instinctively lean away.

"You ready, Natsu?" Sting looked down at the Fairy Tail Mage. There was ice yet to be broken between the two after last year's GMG, but Natsu responded with a cool nod as Sting's skin was covered with opalescent dragon scales.

"Alzack, I don't want to leave you!" Bisca sounded panicky as she held Azuka on one hip.

"Psh they're just a bunch of scumbag bitches." Alzack replied with a grin. "You girls just stay safe, okay. I don't know why you even came down here in the first place."

"Alzack Connel do _not_ use that kind of language in front of our daughter!" Bisca scolded with a glare, "And I came down here because I wanted to see you safe! And because I am not a damsel in distress!"

"Well, I'm safe now! Besides, _I_ know you can take care of yourself just fine. But you have to go for Azuka, okay?"

"You are _not_ safe! What if…What if…" Bisca burst into tears, something she rarely did, especially in front of Azuka."

"Mommy? 'S okay, Mommy." Azuka reassured her with a smile, completely unaware of the situation.

"It is. It _is_ going to be okay." Bisca agreed with a decisive sniff. "Alzack, if anything happens to you I swear there'll be Hell to pay. For someone, anyway."

"Well, for someone's sake, I guess I'd better not have anything happen to me, eh? Azuka, take care of Mommy, okay?" Azuka gave his wife and daughter each a peck on the cheek.

"Okay, Daddy." The little girl agreed happily, wrapping her arms around her father's neck.

Only a minute later, the Dark forces reached them. Natsu grinned, his confidence returning. What did numbers matter to some of the strongest wizards in Fiore? Twice as many only meant two men to every person. And there were several people here who could take out lots more than two enemy mages, himself included.

"Heheheh!" Natsu chuckled, the fire on his hands spreading up to his wrists. "Fire Dragon's…"

"Wait!"

Natsu's concentration was broken as a hand wrapped around his ankle and his spell fizzled out to nothing. Looking down, the small girl from Manticore Emerald smirked up at him.

"Hey!" Natsu protested, trying to shake her hand off, "You're supposed to be too beat up to do anything!"

"Hm. You're dumber than you look." Hira concluded thoughtfully, "Ever heard of playing possum?"

"Garr! Get off!" the Dragonslayer kicked his leg violently but Hira hung on, a telltale black mark spreading from underneath her hand.

"Salamander. A name both revered and feared here in Fiore. One of the most famous mages in this country, though few know your face. What are you afraid of, Natsu Dragneel?"

"Nothing." Natsu muttered, though he knew it wouldn't do any good. He'd seen Hira use her magic on the lacrima-vision.

_I'll just have to burn her to a crisp before she has a chance to do anything._

"Too late." Hira smirked, reading his intentions plainly on his face, and finally unclasping her hand. Natsu tossed a fireball at her anyway, which singed her hair and narrowly missed the bottom of her pleated skirt.

"You crave attention." the girl went on, "Because you've been given it all your life. But being ignored is not what you fear most. You might be obnoxious, Salamander, but you are a better man than that. No, your nightmares consist of being useless when it counts most. Not being able to save your friends when they are in danger. That's the one thing that would break you, isn't it? If you were made to watch your loved ones suffer from the other side of a glass wall. Ah, I look forward to breaking you."

"You won't get the chance." Natsu growled, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

"Nuh-uh-uh." Hira wagged a finger as one would when scolding a small child. Natsu staggered backwards as her magic took effect, gasping a little.

_"Natsu! Natsu help me!"_ _Lucy screeched, tears pouring down her face. Natsu didn't know what she was trying to get away from but her face was so filled with pain and fear that he reached out to her, only to find that his hand passed right through her as if she was some sort of ghost._

_"Lucy!" he panicked as his friend cried harder and begged him to help her._

"Stop that!" Natsu spat at Hira, whose only response was to replace Lucy with Erza.

_Natsu recognized the scene. They were near the Tower of Heaven. Erza was halfway submerged into the giant Lacrima Crystal. _

_"Erza! No, no! What are you doing?!" _

_"It's the only way to save you." Erza smiled, placing a hand on Natsu's cheek. "I'll give my life so that you and the others will live. It's up to you to defeat Jellal now. I trust you to win over him, Natsu."_

_"Erza stop! I know how to fix this! Just give me some time, please! No! Don't go! If you die, we won't be able to live!" Natsu sobbed, grabbing her wrist in a vain attempt to pull her out of the Lacrima. But like Lucy, his hand passed straight through hers._

_"There is no time left." Erza whispered as the last of her fingertips disappeared into the crystal._

_"ERZA!"_

"Agh. SHUT UP!" Natsu hissed, pushing the images out of his mind. Hira stepped back a pace – she seemed a little surprised that he'd been able to force her out. Natsu took the opportunity and charged forward, hands aflame.

"Fear is part of being a powerful mage." He told himself, remembering his battle with Gildarts on Tenrou Island, "Fear lets us revel in victory, but also tells us when to step down. That's the mark of maturity that S-class mages carry with them."

"But," he went on, "It looks like this time I'll have to defeat you with less power than that of an S-class wizard. Because I AM NOT AFRAID!"

Natsu blasted Hira with his fire, realizing that it was true – he wasn't afraid.

"YOU WILL NOT HURT FAIRY TAIL! AND YOU WILL NOT _PRETEND_ TO HURT FAIRY TAIL!"

Hira tried one last attempt to claim Natsu's spirit, but this time, she pulled on the wrong emotion.

"That won't work." Natsu snarled, "I know that Lisanna is alive. Memories of her grave are only sad memories. Stupid, immature girl."

Finally, he threw her to the ground, holding a burning hand over her face.

_I could kill her. I could kill her here and now._ Natsu realized. He brought his hand closer to her neck, then made the mistake of looking into her eyes.

"You see how it feels, don't you?" He glared, smelling her fear with the keen nose of a dragon and seeing it in the reflection of his own fire in her eyes.

_She's just a kid. Barely fourteen. Who am I to take away her right to life?_

"Bah. Fuck you." He quenched the fire. "You try anything like that again…" Natsu let the threat hang, trusting Hira to finish it in her thoughts. She nodded slowly, understanding.

"Hey, look. You're just a little kid, you know" he shrugged. "You still got a chance if you wanna start over…"

Hira opened her mouth, then closed it again, then opened it again. "You mean…you mean you'd give me another chance?"

Natsu shrugged once more. "Ain't forgiving you or anything. But hey, there's always another chance at life, no matter how old or young you are."

"I…I don't…thanks." Hira looked down, looking genuinely guilty for once."

"You know, you're actually kind of a cute little girl when you're not cackling evilly." Natsu grinned.

"I don't cackle evilly!" Hira snapped, "And I'm not a little girl either! I'm fifteen next month."

"Hm. Dojikko, then." Natsu concluded with a chuckle, "You'd fit right in with Sheila and Wendy."

"I am not!"

**hope you enjoyed! idk whose POV next chapter will be...gotta work on that.**

**~ice**


	14. An Inspirational Speech

**I can easily state that Fairy Tail is one of my favorite things in the world. but after reading the latest chapter 368 i'm afraid I can no longer say the same for Mashima-sama. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it but. sniff. tears. my jerza dreams crushed forever. sob. i'll have my revenge, Mashima. oooh, yes.**

**anyway, here is chapter 14 that I wrote at 12:12 this morning. it's short and low-lying because it as really just something to calm my nerves after that great and awful chapter. and it is Mavis POV. plz r&r!**

Chapter 14

**_Mavis_**

"Heheheh! Look at those kids go!" Makarov cheered excitedly as the last Dark Wizard toppled at the hands of Araña Web. Or rather, he was cocooned by her mass of spiderweb that encased him.

Mavis's face, however, remained sullied by a small frown.

"Hold your festivities, Sixth." She remarked in her quiet voice. It was a child's voice that held the wisdom of one far beyond its years, and could be unsettling to those hearing it for the first time. "I sense that something is amiss."

"Oh, come on, First!" Makarov replied, still excited. "They totally kicked ass! Didn't you see them?"

"You doubt me?" Mavis asked, a touch of hurt coloring her tone.

"Not at all, Mavis. Not at all." Makarov sighed, getting the gist of her mood. "So there's more to come then?"

The spirit girl was saved from answering as once again a voice emanated from the speakers.

"You have not won."

Mavis threw Makarov an _I-told-you-so_ look.

"Those people you just defeated were the overture to the composition about to come. Didn't you hear us say that we've been working on this project for years? In those years we have accumulated mass forces. Many more than you have in your little _ASS_ program there." A self-satisfied edge took over the voice's tone. "Oh no, dear friends. The battle has just begun."

The swarm of people that subsequently rose from the horizon was not twice, thrice, or even four times as large as the Alliance of Scrupulous Sorcerers. It was closer to a hundred times. And that was without subtracting the members that already lay defeated on the ground.

"Alzack." Bisca's horrified whisper drew Mavis's attention as the young mother looked from Azuka to ASS to Azuka again. She was plainly torn between helping her husband and protecting her daughter.

"I can place her in one of my bubble seals, if you want." Mavis offered, nodding to Azuka.

"You mean like you did on Tenrou Island?" Bisca asked.

"Hai. I have much better control over my powers now. I reversed the dimensions that the bubble seal connects to, so she'll be aging faster than us. But she will only age two or three days at most, I promise."

Bisca hesitated. Then, "Okay. But if anything happens…" she threatened. Mavis nodded.

"I understand. Don't worry, she'll be safe inside the bubble seal."

"And Mavis? If Alzack and I don't make it back…I want you to take care of Azuka in our stead. Will you? Please?"

"Of course." Mavis enclosed Azuka in the bubble seal and zapped it off to a different dimension, making sure it was one of the peaceful ones. She also placed a sleeping spell on the child to ensure that she wasn't aware of being separated from her parents and wouldn't be afraid. "Now come, Sixth, Bisca. Let us gather the Masters of the other guilds, although Sting appears to already be down there. It is time that we lend our hands in this battle."

Tensions were high when they reached the ASS members below. Natsu was hopping from one foot to another, Gray sat in grave silence, Lucy chewed her lip and clung to Plue and Happy, while Erza had requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Wendy was out of magic energy after trying to heal too many people, leaving Carla on the warpath. Several of the mages who had been taken hostage seemed to have at least partially recovered, though no one said a word about the frog-Exceed – Frosch; by that time, most people knew what had happened. Rogue and Lector were a sight to be pitied, obviously having lost their will to fight. Mavis wished she could have given them both some encouraging words, but without the mark of Fairy Tail, neither would be able to see her, nor hear what she had to say.

But Makarov seemed to have had the same idea, as he paused by the two Sabertooth mages.

"Keep your chins up," he told them, "You have lost a great friend and companion, but that is all the more reason to fight for her. Keep her legacy alive!"

His words brought an eventual sad smile to Rogue's face.

"Frosch isn't lost. She never was."

"That's the spirit, young man." Makarov approved, moving on.

"Now listen up!" the old man climbed up the stone wall to look down on ASS. "Just because there's a few more bitches to deal with, is that any reason to act like cowards?!"

"We're not cowards!" Elfman provided the answer Makarov seemed to be looking for. "We're real men!"

"And women!" His sister Lisanna added.

"We're not gonna lose." Makarov stated firmly. "I won't allow it. We will fight like there's no tomorrow. And if we lose, there very well mayn't be."

At that moment, every single conscious mage in that clearing took up the Fairy Tail Stance of Defiance, regardless of the emblem they bore, Mavis included.

"My children, right now, we are not competing in any Grand Magic Games. We are not enemies. The people beside you are your brothers and sisters, be they Fairies, Mermaids, Pegasi, Lamia, or Tigers. And here, we rise together not as separate guilds, but as one nation: Fiore!"

"HAI!" was the collective response, with the exception of Happy who shouted "AYE!" instead.

Mavis made her way through the throng of people, seeking one woman in particular.

"Cana! There you are."

"Hey, Master Mavis" Cana replied, spotting the ghostly figure as she took a swig from her hip-flask of alcohol.

"I'm lending you Fairy Glitter again." Mavis nodded at the mark that appeared on Cana's right forearm. "Only use it if you have to."

"Thanks." The alcoholic nodded, pulling some cards out of her bag. Mavis didn't miss the flash of nervousness that sparked in Cana's eyes. Good – she was still sober enough to have some sense.

"I suggest you hold off on the liquor for now, young lady." Mavis frowned disapprovingly, "It'll only slow you down in battle."

"Bah. I never get drunk." Cana waved her off, offended. "You sound too much like Gildarts…Dad."

"Here they come." Gray stood up, looking out towards the Dark Alliance. He was right. The Dark wizards were so close that Mavis could make out the faces of those in the front lines.

In thirty seconds, they were upon them.

**hope you liked! next chapter is with Cana!**

**I've been wanting to fit in a Gray POV but since I have already planned the ending (chapter 17 will be the last) i'm not sure if I can put it in...oh well. *hugs gray possessively***

**~ice**

**p.s. Rainbowmnms, thank you so much for reviewing! it really means a lot to me! :)**


	15. The Stuff of Legends

**chaaaaaappie 15 Cana POV!**

**i'll be honest, the Unison Raid part kind of made me feel like I was writing Powerpuff Girls or Sailor Moon or something. ("Moon Prism Power!" I've never actually seen sailor moon but I've heard enough to know to stay away from it.) so...sorry...I guess. =.=**

**aaaaaaaanyway, plz enjoy Cana kicking ass and also getting her ass kicked and plz review!**

Chapter 15

**_Cana_**

"Have you had any premonitions?" Cana asked Carla, ignoring Mavis's advice to stop drinking. The Exceed shook her head as Gray stood up.

"Here they come."

"Hey Lucy," Cana called out. The Celestial Mage turned her head.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to summon Aquarius? I have my Prayer's Fountain card right here."

"No thanks." Lucy replied with a nervous smile, unrolling her whip, "Aquarius…has a hard time differentiating between friend and foe…"

"Hm, yeah I guess so…" Cana put away her Prayer's Fountain card, remembering her experience with Aquarius on Tenrou Island. She pulled out her Burning cards instead, almost too late as the Dark Mages reached them.

Three enemy wizards were downed by the Burning cards before they had a chance to strike.

_Three down, a million more to go._

"Ugh." Cana grunted as her feet were whipped out from under her, wrapped by a blue-colored Binding magic.

"White Fang!"

Cana's ankles were released as the solidified snow cut through the bonds. "Thanks, Eve!" she nodded at the Blue Pegasus boy.

"No problem!"

Cana clutched her Triple Dagger card, sending it spinning towards the Bind mage as three long daggers emerged from it.

Several more wizards fell to Cana's Card magic, and she stopped counting after thirty.

"Ow." She hissed as something swiped her shoulder. A sizzling sound and searing pain followed. Her skin fizzed and eroded where she had been struck, and Cana had to bite her lip to keep her eyes from filling with tears.

It wasn't until the same thing happened to her thigh that Cana realized what it was – Acid magic. A burly young man with a greasy red ponytail looked to be the caster, spinning two more acid drops from his fingertips.

In evading one drop, the other caught Cana just underneath her collarbone, eating a hole through her orange jacket and biting into her skin. The Fairy Tail mage swore profusely at the pain, retaliating with her Summoned Lightning card, hoping to electrocute the acid caster, thus defeating him.

"Agh, fuck it!" Cana snarled as the Summoned Lightning card deteriorated in her hands. She dropped it quickly to the ground to avoid touching the now acidic card. "Damn you! That card was really expensive, too! It cost a whole month's rent!"

"My acid burns through anything." The greasy man smirked, reaching forward to grab Cana around the neck.

_Oh shit!_

"Aaaaaaaaagh!" she screamed in pain as her skin bubbled and fizzed beneath the man's hands, clawing at his arms as he lifted her into the air by the neck, choking her now as well as burning her.

_Fairy Glitter. Mavis said not to use it unless I have to. Does this count as a have-to situation?_

Cana gasped for air, kicking and thrashing to no avail; the stupid jerkface still had her round the neck.

_To hell with Mavis!_

"F-fairy…" she struggled to get her arm into a position where her magic would hit the greasy man.

Before she had time to finish the spell, a new hand entered the scene, which clamped around the man's arm, seemingly unaffected by the acid that hissed underneath its clap.

"Don't touch," Gildarts snarled through clenched teeth, "My daughter."

"Oh yeah? And who's stopping me?" the greasy man glared back. Cana mentally willed Gildarts to move away; at this range he was too close for Cana to use Fairy Glitter without hitting him too.

"Gildarts Clive." Gildarts answered. Several cracks appeared in the greasy man's arm and he whimpered in pain, dropping Cana reflexively. "You really wanna test me?"

"N-nosir."

"Didn't think so."

"You okay?" Gildarts asked after the greasy man had been taken care of.

"Owowow don't touch it!" Cana protested as his fingers came into contact with her damaged neck. "I'm okay." She mumbled, though tear-tracks stained her face.

"That bastard." Gildarts turned to spit on the face of the unconscious man, "Nobody hurts my daughter and lives to tell the tale."

"Wait, you didn't…" Cana asked in horror.

"Nah he's not dead, just –"

"Dad watch out!" Cana jerked a card at random from her blue bag and sent it flying towards the mage who had been about to decapitate Gildarts from behind.

"What would I do without you?" he chuckled. Then, "You called me 'Dad'"

"What?"

"Just then, you called me 'Dad'. You said 'Dad watch out.'"

Cana stuck her hands on her hips. "Well, don't bet on it ever happening again, _Gildarts_. Now if you remember, there's a war going on so let's get back in the game!"

"You sure you're going to be okay with that injury?" Gildarts frowned, "We could see if Wendy's recovered yet – I don't want you fighting with a wound like that."

"I'm _fine_!" Cana insisted, "I can't feel it anymore anyway – the acid killed the nerves so it doesn't hurt." It was partly true, at least. Cana did her best to push away the pain as she reentered the battle.

Glancing around, things were not looking up. Sting was out; not a good sign, Elfman and Lyon had also been dragged to the sidelines to avoid being trampled on. Even Erza and Kagura were looking strained as they fought off scads of Dark Mages, and Jura was locked in combat with two highly competent wizards. Cana watched as Lamia Scale's master ceased her constant spinning – something that only happened when she was unconscious. Ren, Jenny and Hibiki were nowhere to be seen, though Ichiya barreled forward with his bottles of perfume and Eve's blizzard was still going strong around him, keeping him safe from most attacks.

Mirajane and Freed fought side by side, though cuts and bruises covered them. Laxus, Natsu and Rogue were in the midst of a Unison Raid. If there was anything strong enough to command a Unison Raid from three Dragonslayers, Cana didn't want to meet it.

"Levy!" a panicked voice rose above the fray. Distracted and bending over an unmoving Levy, Gajeel took a damaging blow that made Cana wince. Beside her, the mass that had been Pantherlily disappeared.

"'Lily?"

"Damn. I couldn't hold my battle form long enough." Pantherlily hissed, struggling to stay in the air with only one wing – the other looked to be broken.

"Guh." Cana turned her head away from Pantherlily just in time to receive a crushing punch to her face, bloodying her nose and splitting her lip.

Kicking the attacker in the crotch, Cana got rid of him with an Iron Hammer card.

"Lucy!" she screeched in warning, seeing a mage hit her blond head from behind. Lucy crumpled to the ground and her Spirits were forced back into the Celestial World, save Loke, who was able to remain on his own.

"Loke, help me carry her." Cana pleaded, lifting Lucy by the armpits. He could probably carry her by himself, but Cana wanted to see her friend safely to the edge of the fighting where she'd be safe from stomping feet.

Cana groaned as she saw how man of their own had been taken out. Those were people they couldn't afford to lose if they were to win this thing.

"Oh, the poor dear." Master Bob sighed, as he seemed to be the one watching over the incompetent. "Just lay her down right here."

"Cana!" a familiar voice accompanied by a ghostly figure approached hurriedly. "Cana I need you to use Fairy Glitter." Mavis said sharply. Then, "No! Not yet!" when Cana raised her arm.

"Why not?"

"First we have to find Sixth." Mavis replied.

"Like that's going to be hard." Cana remarked sarcastically, casting her gaze towards the hulking figure that was her Master using his magic to tower above the rest of the mob.

"There are three legendary magics of Fairy Tail." Mavis went on, ignoring her sarcasm, "You can use Fairy Glitter, Sixth uses Fairy Law, and I perform the third; Fairy Heart. These three magic combined contain an unfathomable amount of destructive force. I do not wish such damage upon anyone…but I believe it is the only way to win."

"So you want to do a Unison Raid?"

Mavis nodded as they reached Makarov.

"I already know what you girls want me for." Makarov shrunk down to normal size with a last punch that sent three people flying.

"Then let us commence."

The old man sighed. "The Council is going to be after our asses for destruction of public property again."

"To hell with the Council! Let's get this over with!" Mavis snapped. Makarov's moustache twitched as he grinned.

"I'm surprised at you, Mavis, using language like that."

"Well look who's calling the kettle black!" Mavis retorted, "Besides, you shouldn't be smiling in a situation like this – we're in a war zone!"

"Guys! Enough!" Cana threw up her hands. "Are we doing the Unison Raid or not?"

"Alright." Makarov grew serious, sticking his fist out. Cana took both their hands in hers, baring her arm with the Fairy Glitter tattoo.

"Ready?" Mavis asked.

"Fairy…"

"Law!"

"Glitter!"

"Heart!"

A blast of magical force threw Cana backwards and there was an enormous _BOOM_, then all sound disappeared as the wave of legendary magic washed over the battlefield. Cursing, she realized that the explosion must have rendered her ears useless for the time being, and she hunched down with her arms over her head to protect her from the flying shrapnel and clods of earth.

Over a minute passed before the storm started to clam, and when Cana finally dared to look up, the battlefield was hardly recognizable. There were people strewn everywhere, though amazingly, none of the ASS members seemed to be hurt. After contemplating this for a moment, Cana figured it must have been due to Makarov's part in the spell – Fairy Law only targeted enemies.

She nudged a nearby Dark Mage with her sandal, but the woman was unresponsive.

"Are they…" she swallowed, "Are they all _dead_?"

"I don't know." Mavis answered solemnly, "And I don't care to find out. Come now, Cana. Let us go – we have done enough."

**Mavis dear, why so serious? XD**

**chapter 16 will be with Levy. which means - you guessed it - GALE! heeheehee OwO**

**~ice**


	16. Do Fairies Have Tails?

**okay i'm sorry that this is a really short chapter but I was having a little writer's block and was straining to reach 1000 words (I try to make all my chapters between 1000 and 2000 words. I guess it's just me being OCD...)**

**anyway, I wrote this chapter this afternoon since we got out early from school because of snow. It's been snowing since around 9:00 this morning so I think it's pretty safe to say that there will be no school tomorrow,. yayz! (not that you care in the slightest...)**

**well, here is Levy and a chapter that is mostly GaLe. plz review!**

Chapter 16

**_Levy_**

"Ha! We did it! We beat them!" Levy grinned, hi-fiveing Lucy, who was still a little loopy from being knocked in the head. Levy decided not to tell Lucy about the blood that stained her hair, hoping that there was none in her own – she'd been unconscious for a good few minutes too.

"Yeah we…we did." Lucy slurred, swaying like Cana did when she was drunk. Levy forced her to sit down, pushing her to the ground by her shoulders.

"You just need to rest, okay Lucy?"

"'Kay." Lucy replied, laying down on the hard ground.

"I'll watch her." Loke nodded to Levy, who nodded back gratefully.

"Shrimp! Shr-Levy! Levy!" Gajeel hurried over to her. "A-are you okay?"

"Yeah, I've got a splitting headache but I'm still alive. How about you?"

"Okay."

"You must be really worried if you're calling her Levy." Natsu teased, punching Gajeel in the shoulder.

"No! I'm not worried about her – no I didn't mean it like that. I am worried about you – about her. But not like in _that_ way I just…but…but…I'm-I want her to be okay but I'm not like super-worried or abnormally worried or anything. But you're important, Shrimp. I…" Gajeel spluttered, his tanned face turning the slightest bit pink.

"But, but, but." Natsu mocked playfully.

"Shut it, Salamander!" Gajeel finished. Natsu smirked and went to see to the well-being of Lisanna, stopping by Lucy on his way.

"Levy! Levy!" another voice called Levy's. name.

"LEVY!"

Make that two voices. Levy didn't need to ask who it was as Jet and Droy hurried up to her. Well, Jet hurried. Droy puffed along behind him. It was amazing how much larger he'd grown in the seven years she'd been gone.

"Hey guys." She managed a smile, glad that they seemed to be okay and in full working order.

"Levy there's blood and dirt in your hair." Droy started to point out, only to be silenced by a glare from Gajeel.

"Don't tell her that!" the Iron Dragonslayer snapped in a whisper that Levy didn't miss, "She…looks fine the way she is!"

"Thanks for coming to check on me guys." She pulled both of them into a hug. Jet blushed slightly as he looked down at the mass of disheveled blue hair and smiling dirty face, while Gajeel stewed silently, being left out of the hug. "You know how much you guys mean to me. I'm glad you're safe. You two should go get your wounds checked; see if Mirajane will let them be healed – I think she's monitoring who gets healed by Wendy or Porlyusica and who doesn't. And Jet, what happened to your shoulder?"

Levy frowned as she spotted the bloodstain on Jet's shoulder, already able to guess what it was.

"I got shot." Jet explained, confirming Levy's thoughts. "We'll…go see Mira now. We just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Levy knew that Jet and Droy were more sensitive than most people assumed at first glance – they had understood her subtle hint, heading over to the temporary outdoor infirmary and leaving her alone with Gajeel.

Gajeel cleared his throat. "You, ah, fought good."

"Thanks," Levy grinned, "But I didn't really do much. You're much stronger than I am. After all, I'm just a shrimp, right?" she had meant it to be a playful, teasing comment, but Gajeel grew uncomfortable, looking away.

"No…you're more than that." He mumbled, kicking a stone with his foot. "I'll stop calling you Shrimp if you want…"

"No, don't. I…I actually kind of like it when you call me Shrimp." Levy protested, realizing as she said it that it was true. There was something very…_Gajeel_ about the way he called her Shrimp, and she liked it.

Suddenly, Levy gasped slightly and started as something gripped her ankle. One of the Dark Mages had regained consciousness.

"You haven't won!" he rasped. Gajeel kicked his hand, probably harder than was necessary.

"Don't touch her."

The man released his hold on Levy but kept talking. "Fairies. We'll rip your wings off one by one. Painfully. Oh, so painfully." A touch of madness colored his eyes as his tongue flicked across his lips, and Levy resisted the urge to turn and run, instead crouching down to where she could smell the mage's foul breath, much to the disgruntlement of Gajeel.

"You know, there's a reason our guild is called Fairy Tail, and not Fairy Wing." She told him, tilting her head a little to the side, "Everyone knows that fairies have wings, but do fairies have tails? It's a never-ending mystery; an eternal adventure. You may pluck our wings, but can you take away our tails if you don't know whether we have any or not?"

"I shouldn't think so." Levy answered her own question, then stood up, allowing Gajeel to pull her away from the crazy man, who faded back into oblivion.

"H-hey, Gajeel?" Levy swallowed, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Yeah? Somethin' the matter, Shrimp."

"I'm-I'm glad that it was you that I was fighting with today. I…I'm glad. Thank you."

"Well, I told you on Tenrou. Small people like you are hard to lose. I hafta make sure you're safe, right? I'll always watch your back. Promise." Gajeel replied. In a surprising show of emotion other than anger or indignation, he wrapped his arms around Levy's small figure.

Levy didn't mind that her forehead knocked against the bolts on his jacket again. Gajeel's clumsiness was part of why she liked him so much. She guessed it was gratitude that made the tears roll down her cheeks.

"Ah, shit, what did I do wrong?! Why are you crying?!" Gajeel panicked, noticing. Levy just snorted in laughter and tears, not letting go of him.

"I'm _happy_ you goofball." She replied, shaking her head. Men were so dumb at times. Well, mostly all the time.

From across the clearing, Jet watched as Levy and Gajeel clung to each other, turning back to Mira with a small smile. Levy was happy, and that was all that mattered.

**I know that last line with Jet watching technically shouldn't be there since it is Levy POV but I couldn't help but put it in there - and this is a fanfic; i'm allowed to break rules XD.**

**anyway, i'm looking forward to being done with this story (longest story I've ever written. I know - 17 chapters is pathetic -.-)**

**next chapter...wait and see! I'm hoping that it'll be a POV that will surprise you...maybe...probably not. :P**

**~ice**


	17. Life Goes On

**okie peoples, here is the laaaaaaaast chapter #17!**

**heheheh I was right - no school tomorrow (or I guess today cuz it's 12:15 am...)**

**and Cimmie, if you're reading this, i'm sorry that I used your penname for a dark guild but I couldn't resist. but you know that I luv you :3**

**anyway, I don't own Fairy Tail even though I wish I did. very much...**

**plz enjoy and plz review!**

Chapter 17

**_Hira_**

Hira made her way through the woods after getting directions from a man at the pub in town. She was looking for someone. Three someones, actually.

Over a week had passed since the battle between Dark and Light mages, a battle that Hira had not participated in, slipping away before the fighting commenced. She knew what the outcome had been – the news had spread like wildfire all over Fiore.

Hira wasn't stupid enough to believe that Katsuko and Lord would just let her go; she was too powerful for that. They'd be hunting her, she knew, but she was hoping to find refuge with the people she had been seeking for a week, the people who never seemed to stop moving.

She knew the name of one of them, only because it was a name to be whispered in backstreet alleys, a name that was a slap in the face to the Magic Council. Jellal. Jellal was the one she had asked for, and it was in Jellal's direction that she had been pointed by the people in various towns, mainly beggars.

_Beggars. They are a wonder to this world. They never miss anything, do they. They know their towns, their social systems better than anyone. Beggars…_

There was also, she had heard, two women that travelled with him; a young pink-haired one, and a beautiful, dangerous woman with long black hair, though the latest accounts of the woman with black hair were dated over a year ago.

Together, these three people formed the tiniest magic guild in Fiore: Crime Sorciere. Hira knew and agreed with the ideals of the guild, and she knew that she deserved nothing better than to be able to feel remorse for the things she had done. She had hurt many people in her lifetime, an accomplishment that had earned her the standing of magical prodigy among the Dark Guilds of Fiore.

A slow-growing noise interrupted Hira's brooding; the sound of excited chatter reached her ears. She picked up her pace. Could that be the voice of one of Jellal's comrades?

Approaching a clearing, Hira hid behind a tree and peered out at the sight before her. There were two tents set up, and a temporary firepit, along with a long string on which clothes had been hung to dry. There were two people as well; the pink-haired girl that Hira had heard about was the one whose voice she had heard. The man was sitting quietly, listening to her talk, and Hira didn't need to be told that that was Jellal. There was no sign of the dark-haired woman. So the man in the pub had pointed her in the right direction. She sent him a mental note of thanks. After several days of searching, she had finally found Crime Sorciere.

Suddenly, Jellal held up his hand and the pink-haired girl fell silent, picking up on his sudden tenseness.

"Somebody's here." Jellal announced quietly, standing up and looking around. Then louder, "Come out, I know you're there!"

Nervously, Hira stepped out into the open. Jellal relaxed, seeing that it was just a scrawny teenager. It felt nice to know that there wasn't someone in the world who would immediately take up a defensive stance at the first sign of Hira – these two obviously hadn't been watching the Lacrima-vision for the past few days.

"H-how did you know I was there?" she asked.

"After being on the run for so long, you kind of get an instinct for those sorts of things." Jellal replied, "Now, I don't want to seem rude, but who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is Hira. Hira Martίn. I…I wanted to join your guild." Hira mumbled.

"And why would you want to join _this_ guild? In the eyes of the Magic Council, we'd most certainly be a Dark Guild, and you'll be travelling with the most wanted man in Fiore, not to mention also battling Dark Guilds that we want to eliminate." Jellal frowned.

"Crime Sorciere isn't a Dark Guild." Hira looked down. "You don't know what it's like to be part of a real Dark Guild."

"I do." The pink-haired girl spoke up. She looked older close-up; twenty-three or tweny-four maybe. Her eyes were solemn, though Hira had seen her perfectly at ease when talking to Jellal.

Jellal thought for a minute.

"I'd like you to allow Meredy to perform her Malguity Sense on you – she'll be able to sense your emotions and any hostility you have towards us. If she finds none, we'll allow you in, but don't take this lightly, Miss Martίn. Once you enter our guild, you won't be able to leave unless we trust you completely not to reveal important information to anyone who might be after us."

The message was clear: _You don't let Meredy check you out, you're not in. You get in, you never get out._

Hira didn't like the intrusion of her privacy, but she allowed Meredy to link them. Hira was suddenly overwhelmed with new sensations. Fabric whipped around her bare legs; Meredy's dress being picked up by the wind, there was a twinge of pain in her ankle; the other woman must have twisted her ankle or something a few days ago. There was also a sense of curiosity, but there was caution as well; Meredy's feelings towards Hira.

After about thirty seconds, Meredy broke the link and nodded to Jellal.

"I found nothing suspicious." She confirmed. Jellal's face cracked into a smile – he obviously trusted Meredy's abilities and judgment completely.

"Well, then. Welcome to Crime Sorciere. Let's see…" he pulled a backpack out of one of the tents and started rummaging through it. "I think I have a stamp somewhere here…ah, yes. Here it is!" he removed his hand from the backpack, triumphantly holding a stamp in the shape of the Crime Sorciere emblem in his hand. "We've only got one color at the moment," he added apologetically, "Is red okay?"

Hira nodded. "Of course." She turned around, facing her back towards Jellal. "I-I'd like it on my shoulder blade, please." She said, touching the spot, "Where my…Manticore Emerald stamp used to be."

She'd had her black Manticore insignia removed immediately after she had left the Dark Alliance. Heat flowed through her back as Jellal pressed the stamp down on her right shoulder blade. Hira craned her next to see her new guild mark, failing completely and tripping over herself in her efforts.

Blushing in embarrassment, Hira cautiously looked back up at her new friends.

_Friends. I have friends. _

Her first friend had been Natsu. He was the one who had brought her back into herself. But now, Jellal and Meredy chuckled softly, helping her up. They laughed with her, not at her like the people in the Dark Alliance.

"You will never be a replacement for Ultear," Meredy smiled sadly, "But you'll do, kid."

_Ultear? She must be the dark-haired woman who was last seen a year ago. I wonder what happened to her. They act sort of like she's…dead or something._

"Granola bar?" Jellal asked. Hira nodded and caught the granola bar he tossed at her.

"Let's pack up camp." The blue-haired man announced, "Our next target is the Dark Guild Shimmering Crimson. I want to be in the vicinity by nightfall."

"Aye sir!" Meredy saluted. Not teasing, but not serious either. Hira did the same, and Jellal smiled, repeating what Meredy had said earlier.

"You'll do, kid. You'll do…"

_A true guild,_ Hira realized, _Is not based on social status. It's based on friendship. And family. I've…never had a family before. But I do now!_

**happy endings are good, yeshies ;)**

**many thanks to anyone who read, faved, followed, or reviewed! I know this story didn't seem to be popular with the majority of the fandom, but I really enjoyed writing it although I am glad to be finished with it.**

**my next story will feature JERZA - if you're interested, please follow me or be on the lookout for it coming this week or next week :)**

**I love you my readers!**

**luvandpikachus**

**~icefire out**


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